Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors
by TLHCG
Summary: AU-Future!Fic. S1&2 Only! Ten years after the Ghost Wars in Amity Park, Dani is left behind in Kingsport Falls while the Fentons take off for space. Living with family friends in a haunted museum, she sets out to make a name for herself as the Ghost Girl. With new ghost foes, new ghost hunters, and surprises around every corner, Dani is in for the fight of her semi-afterlife!
1. S1E1 -- The New Girl in Town

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

By That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

Episode 1 – The New Girl in Town

" _Ssssheee's baaaaccckkk!"_

Episode Guide: After moving to Kingsport Falls to live with family relatives, Danielle Fenton, ne Kraven, finds herself at a new school where new ghosts and ghost hunters alike challenge her.

Arkham High was an ancient building, erected sometime in the early last century. It was a structure of old stone and decayed wood. Windows rattled with the wind. At nights–much like this one–rats were said to scurry through the walls, scratching and gnawing with their teeth. It was a place no student wished to visit even during the day, much less after sunset.

That was the theory, at least.

Three figures stalked up the street, moving quietly past the security booth posted at the front entrance. The guard inside continued snoring softly, heedless of the trespassers. Clad in black, the trio stopped in front of the main entrance.

"Main entrance is sealed," said the leader of the trio, a Chinese-American teenager with long, dark hair. "Recommend alternate route through lower-level aperture."

The two young males with her both glanced at each other.

"What?" the shorter of the two, an African-American teen with blue eyes and lengthy dreadlocks, asked.

"The window!" she hissed back. "Climb in through the window."

The taller of the two males; a lanky, pale-skinned teen with incredibly long, curly, brown hair, green eyes, and an absurdly large nose; began to do as he was instructed, but then paused.

"Um, I think that if the school can afford a security team, they can probably afford a burglar alarm," he told her.

"True that," the shorter male with the small build agreed. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea, Alice."

Alice scowled at him.

"This is where the Professor's scanning equipment pointed us," she said, jerking a pointing hand up at the school building for emphasis. "We get in, we take out the target, and then go out."

"I approve of this plan," the taller one said proudly, and much louder than needed. "Except for the part about us not being able to get inside. That needs more work, I think."

Alice ground her teeth together.

"Randy," she said with much patience, speaking to the shorter one, "would you mind explaining to Dexter the importance of maintaining a low profile?"

Randy smiled. "How 'bout this?" he offered. "We transform and phase through the walls. That way, nobody got to know we were here, and no one asks 'bout any broken windows."

"Mm," Dexter said, shaking his long mane of curly brown hair out of his face. "This is a much better plan."

"We're supposed to be keeping a low profile with our status as ghost hunters," Alice reminded, feeling very frustrated. "And not abuse our powers."

"You know a better way inside?" Randy challenged.

Alice opened her mouth to argue, but the logic behind Randy's words overcame her desire to put both of them in their respective places.

"Fine," she consented. "We transform and go in quietly."

"Right, right," both young males agreed.

Alice took point in the middle while Randy and Dexter stood behind her on either side. In unison, they reached inside their belt pockets for the specially-made cell phones. Together, each punched in a series of codes on the touch-sensitive screen and held it forward in front of them.

"Let's Specterize!" they called out, giving the activation code phrase.

All three placed the phones screen-forward on the slot built into their belts. The phone screens shined brightly in the night for a moment. Twin rings of light fanned out from the belts, surrounding each member of the trio and encircling them, moving around at counterpoints. When the rings had formed twin globes around each of them, they folded back into the belts.

Now the trio stood clad in lightweight, black power armor. The seams of each suit were intertwined with electronic fibers, resembling glowing green circuitry. The helmets looked like something a motorcyclist would wear.

"This outfits are boss," Randy said happily. "I'll never get sick of wearing this."

"Good for you," Alice grumbled, taking command. "Standard formation. Infiltration plan: Theta Tao. Intangibility mode on now."

Alice pressed a button on the buckle of her belt where her cell phone had once been. Her entire suit and body within became translucent. Confidently, she strode up to the solid wall that served as the eastern side of the school building. Only at the last second did she hesitate.

"Do you ever understand what she means?" Dexter asked Randy while Alice tentatively slipped through the wall to the other side.

"Don' worry much 'bout it, Hoss," Randy replied, hitting the command on his buckle before stepping forward to go next. "She just' needs t' sound important."

Randy entered the building through the same spot in the wall that Alice had gone through. The moment he was on the other side, he hit the command that turned off his intangibility mode. This proved to be a mistake, as a bolt of electricity shot out from off to Randy's left and knocked him right off his feet.

Randy rose up from the spot on the floor where he stopped in time to see Dexter standing in front of the wall, tangible and a very easy target. Up in front of the classroom, Alice was poised in a defensive position, holding out her ecto-staff.

And above her, near the chalkboard, was a floating brain covered in tendrils surrounded by an electrified pink cloud.

"Foolish adolescent mortals!" the brain howled loudly, a pair of eyeballs on two stalks moving around in the brain's forefront. "Thou all dare'st to enter the domicile of the greatest mental capacity in the entire universe? That which is... BRAINSTORM!"

Electricity crackled all around the pink brain cloud, which concentrated around the brain's tendrils before firing out at Alice. Alice spun her staff in front of her to deflect the blast away with, but ended up shocked and blown backward for her trouble.

"Okay," Dexter said in a detached, calm tone of voice. "Not what I was expecting."

"Expectations are frivolous!" the spectral form crowed. "None can anticipate the machinations of BRAINSTORM!"

More electricity followed this proclamation.

"Is there a plan?" Randy called out while Dexter continued looking confused like the average football jock during Algebra.

"Attack pattern Omega B," Alice stated.

Neither Dexter nor Randy moved from their positions.

"Meaning?" Dexter asked.

"Surround it!" Alice shouted, getting exasperated. "Did either of you even look at the training manual?"

"If I say 'yes', does that mean I don't have to be the bait this time?" Dexter asked, moving around the row of desks blocking his path.

"I get the feeling we both being bait this round, Hoss," said Randy. "Make the' best out of it, though."

"Good for you two," Alice grumbled, dodging out of the way while Brainstorm continued firing on her. "I'll draw its fire."

"I can hear all three of you, you know," Brainstorm retorted irritably while still trying to shock Alice. "This semi-corporeal form of mine might possess limitations when it comes to physical attributes, but rest assured that I still claim audio frequency reception!"

"What?" Randy wondered, moving around the row of desks on the other side of the room.

"He can still hear us," Dexter called out, explaining as he reached his position on one side of the chalkboard.

"Got you," replied Randy, taking point on the opposite side of the board. "Now?"

"Not yet," Alice ordered, fumbling with the device on the side of her belt. "Dammit! The Poulter-Vac is jammed again. Why does this thing always get stuck?"

Randy drew out both ecto-pistols from their holsters under his armpits and took aim. Dexter, meanwhile, was unsheathing his spectral katana. The pink cloud of spectral matter bobbed back and forth through the air between the two of them, as though unsure suddenly of what was going to happen.

"I've almost got it!" Alice shouted, trying to reassure them and her.

"I'll draw its fire," Randy offered.

"I think I can get in a good shot with my blade," Dexter said.

"Don't move," Alice ordered, finally getting the hand vacuum-shaped device free. "I've got it!"

Alice aimed the Poulter-Vac up at Brainstorm, who froze.

"Now I've got you," Alice declared happily. "Not so tough now, are you?"

Hitting the switch, Alice laughed as the device engaged, humming powerfully in her hands. The Poulter-Vac energized and let out a sound reminiscent of a very old vacuum gunning itself.

Then, promptly died in Alice's hands.

"What the...?" she wondered, bringing the silent machine up to her helmet. "Oh, for the love of...! Who forgot to put a new containment cartridge in this thing after emptying it out?"

"Not me!" Randy said immediately, echoed by Dexter's declaration of, "Not me either!"

Brainstorm began laughing, crackling with energy once more.

"I am beyond such puny technological feats of mortals," he shouted. "No minuscule device resembling a Black & Decker Dust buster can hope to contain my superior form! Now Brainstorm rules supreme, never again to face taunts and insults, or have his mortal head shoved inside the porcelain confines of a waste-disposal receptacle!"

"You got any idea what this brain-guy's talking 'bout?" Randy wondered, opening fire with his ecto-pistols at Brainstorm.

"Does it matter?" asked Dexter, ever the existentialist figure.

"No, guys!" Alice protested as Dexter leapt into the air with his katana beam raised. "I didn't say 'attack' yet. We have to–"

Brainstorm moved back out of the way toward the chalkboard as Dexter brought his katana down, swiping at nothing but air. The poor teen ended up belly-flopping on top of the teacher's desk hard while Randy fired into the air futilely at Brainstorm's weaving, cackling form.

"–coordinate our attack first," Alice finished, feeling defeated.

"You futile children have just sampled a mere taste of the awesome might that is Brainstorm," the pink brain cloud declared. "I shall return at a later date to finish you off. Farewell for now, though."

With that, Brainstorm went intangible and phased through the ceiling, disappearing from sight. With his target gone, Randy reluctantly holstered his ecto-pistols and moved to help his friend.

"You okay, Hoss?" he asked, as Dexter pushed himself up off the desk slowly.

"I'm fine," Dexter said, rambling as Randy helped him off the desk's surface. "Who needs a spleen anyway? Or a kidney? I can get by on just one. One of my uncle's did, and he lived to a ripe old age of fifty-two."

"Good for him," Alice retorted, stomping up to the desk. "Thanks to you two, the ghost managed to escape. Now what will we tell Professor Wraitheon?"

"Hold up," Randy protested, once Dexter was safely backed on his two feet. "How's this supposed to be our fault?"

"As I recall," Dexter said, thinking, "You were the one in charge of emptying the Poulter-Vac last. Weren't you supposed to put a new containment cartridge in, then?"

"That's really not important," Alice decided, holstering the Poulter-Vac back on her belt. "What's important is that we come up with a good enough excuse to give the Professor before–"

Alice stopped short as the sound of noisy footsteps echoed down the hall toward their position.

"Invisibility mode, now!" she ordered.

All three quickly pushed the icon on their belt buckles, rendering themselves imperceptible to the human eye. The three teens then froze on the spot as the door to the classroom opened. A security guard–the very same one from the booth they'd sneaked past outside–brandished a flashlight as he stood in the doorway. The light passed over the trio repeatedly, but the security guard saw nothing.

"Oh, well," he said, shrugging. "Must've been rats again. Glad I'm not on the janitor's staff."

With that statement, the guard exited the door frame, closing the door shut behind him.

"That was close," Randy breathed out, going visible along with the others once the classroom door closed.

"Agreed," said Dexter. "I hope we don't get detention for this."

"We won't," Alice insisted, turning. "So long as we get out of it."

Neither of her friends argued with her, which made for a refreshing change of pace.

"Oh, and by the way," said Alice, going intangible once they were standing by the outer wall. "If Professor Wraitheon asks, the two of you let the ghost get away."

"So, it'll be like last time in the amusement park when we fought that haunted cotton candy?" Dexter asked as Alice vanished through the wall.

"No, this'll be different, Hoss," answered Randy, going next. "For one thing, Pamela Wells won't sucker punch you in the face for wrecking her date."

"I think she's warming up to me," Dexter told Randy as he followed after his friend through the wall.

Arkham High was a very different place during the day. The sun highlighted the cracks in the various windows, the peeling paint, and the iron-wrought fence that surrounded the complex. Spikes rose up from the top of the latter, giving the place a look and feel not unlike that of an old prison. Security guards stood watch at the gates and throughout various spots marked especially for them so that they had a maximum view of the student body entering the building.

One such student–a young woman of around fifteen or so years, whose blue eyes were noticeable even from a distance–surveyed the exterior grounds beyond the gate warily. Her dark hair was done up in a ponytail, whereas the bangs hung down, framing her face, and colored an unnatural shade of dark neon blue. A lacy, black choker concealed part of her neck.

Her clothes reflected an alternative-goth mindset, though with more of an emphasis on red. A scarlet corset covered her front, concealed partially by a black vest, neither of which covered her naval. Long black, spider-y fishnet gloves wound their way up her arms past the elbows. Deep, blood-red stretch pants, strategically ripped in various areas, clung to her legs like they were painted on, the color marred by several black belts. Her boots were black combat boots, weighed down with extra-thick laces.

As she walked along through the campus grounds, Danielle caught snippets of conversation from what would as of this day be her fellow students.

"I hear Dumpty Humpty's big comeback album is available on iTunes tomorrow," a girl shrieked happily. "I can't wait! It's been ages since they last released anything."

"Man, this year's team is gonna rock!" a football jock declared to his small throng of followers. "As long as we keep our heads down, watch each other's back, and nobody goes near that creepy glowing spot in the basement, this season will be all ours."

"I read on that Whyguy's blog that there have been more sightings of the Kingsport Falls lake monster," a slightly rattled girl said to one of her friends. "It's really spooky."

"That site is such a hoax," her friend retorted disdainfully. "Why do you even go to that place?"

"It's serious," the girl replied. "My little brother went swimming in that lake this summer."

Danielle ignored the two girls and continued onward toward the main entrance, though she did smile briefly at the words of the girl's friend. No one was paying her any obvious attention, though she caught sight of several people farther back pointing and whispering to each other. Danielle knew that she carried the unmistakable stench of 'new student' on her. Whether she had dressed normally or not–something she'd considered for all of two seconds that morning–people would still have stared. It was a scientific fact.

Following the instructions given to her, Danielle made her way to the main office where the principal–a Mr. Nathaniel Peaslee–was said to be waiting for her. A mystified Danielle waited as the two security guards standing watch by the office door each went through a checklist on separate tablets before finally confirming that she was expected.

The receptionist–a bespectacled, gray-haired woman in clothing straight out of a nineteen-fifties movie–said nothing to Danielle other than indicating she should walk through two separate metal detectors before proceeding. The receptionist then waved Danielle back while she tapped out what appeared to be a secret knock on the principal office door. Several locks were undone before a feeble-looking bald man in a gray suit stuck himself part of the way out, looking around wildly as though expecting enemy troops.

"A Miss Danielle Kraven to see you, sir," the receptionist said apathetically. "She was expected."

"The guards let her through?" Principal Peaslee pressed, sounding paranoid. "She passed both inspections?"

"Yes, sir."

Danielle thought that if the receptionist had sounded any more bored, the gray-haired woman would be speaking to the principal from within a coma. Evidently, Principal Peaslee was used to this, however. He seemed more suspicious of Danielle, watching her closely for a full thirty seconds before opening the door wider and stepping aside far enough to let her through.

"Forgive me, Miss... ah, Kraven," Peaslee said nervously, shutting the door hard once Danielle was inside. "I need a moment to, ah... pull up your permanent file."

"They still have those?" she asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of Peaslee's desk without being told to do so.

Peaslee began typing away furiously at his keyboard, ignoring her question. Danielle spotted an ornamental mirror hanging on the wall behind the principal's desk. Through it, she could see that Peaslee was conducting several Google searches on her name.

"It's 'Kraven' with a 'K'," she informed him.

Principal Peaslee jumped at her words.

"What? Sorry?" he asked, looking around the screen at her, wide-eyed.

"You're doing a Google search on me," she stated. "My last name is spelled with a 'K', not a 'C'."

Peaslee's eyes doubled in size, and he looked like he was about to suffer a panic attack.

"Ah, how... how'd you know that, Miss Kraven?" he demanded, while trying not to sound too horrified.

"I'm psychic," she answered, having fun at the man's expense. Though, upon seeing the expression on his face, she decided to toss him a bone. "I can see the screen through the mirror behind you."

Danielle pointed to help Peaslee understand what she meant. Peaslee, meanwhile, followed the direction indicated by her pointing finger and saw the mirror.

"Ah, I see," he said nervously, quickly closing each window with the Google engine on it. "Sorry about that. Can't be too careful nowadays."

"My parents didn't think I should bring weapons with me during the move," she told him frankly. "So rest assured I came to school unarmed. All I want at this point is a nice, normal education at a quiet school."

"Ah, I see," Peaslee repeated. "So, ah... your previous school was more exciting, I take it?"

Danielle thought back to the last ten years of her life, which brought a secretive smile to her face.

"It had its moments," she answered at last.

Principal Peaslee didn't appear to know what to make of that statement, so he fell back on his old tried-and-true method of switching subjects.

"Well, ah... I suppose you'll need a quick tour of the premises. Just so you'll find everything and won't go, ah... wandering off and whatnot."

Danielle said nothing, but Peaslee wasn't waiting to hear her input. He was already reaching over to press a button on the intercom control.

"Ms. Waldron," he called out as the light on the intercom flashed a bright red. "Could you, ah... please page Alice Halsey-Wong to my office. I have, ah... a job for her."

Peaslee said the last part while staring directly at Danielle. Danielle met his gaze without flinching, which only served to unnerve him more, if that was even possible. Silence fell between them. Peaslee passed the time by flexing his fingers and pressing the tips together hard.

"Just, ah... pick up your schedule at the receptionist's desk," he finally said. "Ms. Waldron should have the packet all ready for you."

"...right," Danielle said as the intercom squawked.

"Principal Peaslee?" said Ms. Waldron's voice on the other end. "Alice Halsey-Wong is here. Shall I send her through?"

"Ah, no!" Peaslee said, jumping up out of his seat. "No, that won't, ah... be necessary. Miss Kraven was just on her way out."

Peaslee gestured at the door, so Danielle stood up and moved over to it. As she exited, Peaslee could be overheard muttering to himself.

"Just as well," Danielle could hear him say as she closed the door behind her. "Nothing came up but stuff about old horror films."

A Chinese-American girl with a perfectly round face framed by long, silky dark hair stood near the reception counter. Danielle assumed that this was Alice Halsey-Wong.

"Hi," she introduced. "I'm Danielle Kraven."

The girl seemed surprised to see Danielle, and looked back without responding like she didn't understand why Danielle was introducing herself.

"Miss Kraven is the new student," Ms. Waldron explained, holding the phone up tightly to her ear. "What? Oh, Principal Peaslee wants you to give her a quick tour of the campus before first bell. He says he'll write you a note excusing you from first period if you are late."

"Oh," was the entire girl said in response. "Okay then."

Danielle waited while Alice gave her a once-over, sizing her up. She'd been in school enough to know that this was something teenage girls did to each other on occasion, especially if they felt threatened.

"I guess we should go," Alice said at last in a cold, business-like tone. "I'm Alice Halsey-Wong, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Danielle replied, hoping she didn't sound too insincere, even though she was already beginning to not like Alice much.

Alice was dressed like she was going to attend a business meeting after school and hadn't felt like changing clothes. Her outfit was all the same color, a stern blue that left Danielle feeling very little emotion when she stared at it for too long. The shoes were smart and the the vest molded to Alice's small frame. Either the girl had no personality whatsoever, or she was trying very hard to keep anyone from knowing she did.

"This is Arkham High," Alice told Danielle as they strode down the crowded, noisy hallway together. "In case you hadn't figured that part out yet. I'm guessing you're a freshman like me, so that means we'll see a lot of each other."

"I guess so," was all Danielle bothered to reply with.

"Science and Math classrooms are on the first floor," Alice explained, barely acknowledging that Danielle had spoken. "History, Geography, and English are on the second. And extra-curricular classes are held on the third. Any questions so far?"

"One," Danielle said as something sprang to the forefront of her mind. "Where's the bathroom?"

Alice didn't even stop to turn around.

"Sorry," she said crisply. "You should have thought of that before we left. Next on the tour is the school gym. I want to show it to you and get this over with before first period starts. I don't trust Peaslee to follow through on his word that I'll get a hall pass. He's real stingy with those.

Danielle's irritation didn't stop her from registering Alice's words.

"Is this a school or a prison?" she asked as they reached the other end of the corridor. "Because right now, I'm leaning toward prison."

"They're interchangeable," Alice told her, smirking as she opened the rear door that lead outside.

"You get an eyeful of the new girl yet?"

Dexter hesitated briefly at Randy's words. Over the extra-large sandwich clutched between Dexter's very large hands, which were presently stuck nearly halfway inside his jaw, Dexter glanced at him.

"Can't talk," Dexter mumbled around a mouthful of burger, after he'd bitten down. "Eating. Explain while I chew."

Randy stared at Dexter like he was a circus act performing a very interesting sideshow.

"I'll do my best," he managed to groan out, feeling queasy.

Dexter continued chewing, but Randy waited until his friend had finished swallowing (and he no longer felt ill) to continue.

"Some new girl started school today," he explained as Dexter took another big bite. "Haven't seen, but word is she's smoking. In that 'neo-goth/alternative' way."

Dexter began to chew very quickly.

"Good," he said, after swallowing, much to Randy's relief. "We could use some new blood around here."

The two were sitting in the Arkham High school cafeteria. It was lunch period, and the cafeteria bustled with the usual noise. This was an ideal time for the duo to discuss ghost hunting matters, since most of their peers paid them no mind. It was also great for ranking some of the hotter female alumni, at least when Alice wasn't around.

And even when she was, sometimes.

"And if the new girl is into sports," Dexter said, a wicked grin growing across his face as he flexed his fingertips together, "I may finally have justification for testing the invisibility mode in the girls' locker room."

Randy cocked an eyebrow at his friend, but was interested all the same.

"How'd you figure that, Hoss?" he asked.

"Easy," Dexter replied smugly. "This new girl may have come into contact with harmful spectral energy after moving to Kingsport Falls. If that's the case, one of us should infiltrate while she's off her guard and get a close, personal reading."

Randy rolled his eyes, but Dexter continued unabated.

"It's a chance to test field equipment and help one of our fellow students," Dexter insisted. "Win/win! And being the charitable soul I am, I volunteer myself to go undercover."

"You'd best hope the circuitry don't glitch out on you like last time," Randy warned, laughing at the memory. "Pamela and Heather McNamara would've cracked your skull open with those bricks if your helmet hadn't stayed on."

"I would've rooted for the bricks, myself."

Dexter jumped and Randy whipped his head around sharply to find Alice standing behind them a couple of feet away with the new girl in question.

"Um, hi," Randy said nervously.

"Hi," Dexter parroted. "You didn't hear any of that, right?"

"Any of what?" the new girl asked curiously, giving Dexter a suspicious–if somewhat amused–look.

"Guys, this is Danielle Kraven," Alice explained, motioning toward Danielle in a vague way. "Turns out, she's in my Biology class with Mr. Lake. Peaslee asked me to show her around this morning, but I'm delegating the afternoon half of the tour to you two so I don't have to pass up on study period."

"Gladly," said Randy, getting up out of his chair so that Danielle could set between him and Dexter.

"That's okay," Danielle said, waving the gesture away with a hand. "I'm good."

"Well, Danielle, these are the guys," Alice told her, cutting in. "Randolph "Randy" Carter and Dexter Ward. If they annoy you, just punch them in the face. Negative re-enforcement is a great teacher, I think."

Danielle couldn't help but notice that both young men seemed to be staring at certain places on her body, and wondered whether or not Alice was right.

"See you around!" Alice smirked as she gave Danielle a clap on the shoulder. "Bye, boys."

And with that, Alice took off, leaving Danielle alone with the duo. Neither one had quit staring. Briefly, she considered sitting at a different table, but after a moment of deliberation, sighed and gave in. It wasn't as though she knew anyone else at school so far.

"So, your name's Danielle," Randy stated a little eagerly as Danielle walked around the table, then sat down across from the two on the other side.

"Dani," she corrected. "My full name's Danielle, but most people call me Dani."

"Dani, it is," Dexter agreed. "I like Dani. Dani's a real good name, but then again, so is Danielle."

"Stop talking," Randy whispered to Dexter. "You're doing it again."

"Right. Right."

Dani looked back and forth between the two, studying them both.

"Do you guys know Alice really well?" she inquired.

"A bit, yeah," said Dexter, trying desperately to look cool. "She's a bit popular here thanks to her family, but we're all good friends."

"We hang out sometimes before n' after school," Randy added, making it sound like it was no big deal. "Been friends for a while."

"And yourself, milady?" Dexter asked, grinning.

Dani had the feeling Dexter thought his smile was making him seem suave. In reality, his large teeth and big nose made it seem like he was doing an impersonation of The Joker.

"I... just moved here," she said, feeling creeped out by Dexter's grin and having to resist the urge to ecto-blast him on principle. "My family was going away on an extended business trip and they couldn't bring me, so I'm staying with relatives while they're gone."

"Mm. Sucks," Randy said, looking sorry for her. "So, why can't you go?"

Danielle paused.

"It's twenty-one and older," she explained. "Plus, there was some other stuff going on at the time. But my aunt and uncle were cool with me living with them, so it's good."

"Where'd you live before Kingsport Falls?" Randy wondered, keeping up with the barrage of questions.

"California," Dani answered, keeping things vague enough that they wouldn't suspect anything.

"Awesome," Dexter said. "Surfer girl, in other words?"

Dani snorted.

"Not on your life," she retorted. "I mostly hung out with my older brother and his friends. Or spent time with my big sister. I didn't have a lot of friends before moving here."

There was silence for a moment, at least as far as the conversation between the three. Luckily, Dexter opened his mouth to fill the void.

"So, where do you... live?"

Confused, Dani looked over her shoulder. Dexter's face had gone slack and he was starring off in the distance toward something.

"Ah," said Randy, understanding. "That's just Pamela Wells and the Fashion Club."

Four girls looking about a year and change older than Danielle were marching through the cafeteria toward the salad bar. Every few feet or so, a student would move out of the way, like they were scared one of the girls would swing a punch at them. Going by the cold, calculating looks on each Fashion Club member's face, Dani understood where they might have gotten that impression.

"Pamela Wells is the blonde in front," Randy explained, while Dexter continued starring. "Heather Chandler's th' Asian girl walking beside her. I'm gonna have History wit' her this year."

"Natch," said Dani, recognizing a quartet of Queen Bees when she saw them. "And the other two?"

"The sister with them is Angie Ellery," Randy explained. "She 'n Alice used to be friends, long time ago. Last one's Heather McNamara. She pretty much does whatever th' others tell her t' do."

"The four wise monkeys, in other words," Dani snarked. "This feels more like my old high school after all."

Dani winced as the Fashion Club pushed one poor girl out of their way without even stopping. The girl had just been trying to put her tray away in the dispenser. Dani clenched her teeth at the sight and had to fight back the urge to blast the girl away. As it was, her right hand began to glow a bright green color from her anger, and she could feel her eyes glowing.

"By the way," she said quickly, forcing her anger down so that her eyes went back to their normal blue. "Do either of you know where I can get copies of the freshman year school books?"

Dani had looked away from the Fashion Club clown rejects, but didn't face Randy and Dexter until she was sure her eyes no longer glowed. Her right hand had stopped shimmering green, so it was probably safe. None of them were looking at her any more abnormally than before, and for two teenage boys, the looks she got were pretty normal as it went.

"Yeah. Across the street," Randy informed, looking away from the Fashion Club as well. "They in the public library."

"Yeah," Dexter added, "we can show you around. We're always going over there."

Randy shot Dexter a dirty look out the corner of his eye that Dani noticed. In response, Dexter began to stumble over his words.

"I mean," Dexter said, looking contrite. "That is, we're... always going over there... to read! Because... reading is cool here. Right, Randy?"

"Whatever you say, Ward.," Randy replied, rolling his eyes, and then mumbling, "Real smooth, by the' way, Hoss."

"Reading is cool here," Dani repeated, not sure she believed either one of them. "Duly noted. So, will either of you do the cool thing or help a friend out by pointing her to where she can pick up books for the classes she's taking? Apparently, the office forgot to order extras."

"Sucks for sure," Randy said sympathetically.

"That's the story Ms. Waldron spun for me," Dani told him while Dexter sulked. "Not sure I buy it, but it means I'm not getting my books from the office either way."

"We know all there is to know about the library," Dexter declared, determined now to save face. "This won't take long at all."

An hour after the final bell of school rang, signifying that freedom reigned for students and public school officiates, Dani found herself still inside the public library, wandering around with Dexter and Randy in tow.

"I was sure that book was somewhere around here," Dexter insisted. "I saw it! ...somewhere. Once before. I'm sure of it."

"That's very reassuring," Dani muttered. "Can we please just go ask the head librarian already?"

"Mm. Might not be such a good idea," Randy said, looking hesitant in spite of his annoyance with Dexter. "She doesn't much care for either of us. Something about us hanging round here all this past summer."

"All the librarians here have lousy attitudes," Dexter said to Dani warningly. "They're like ushers in movie theaters. Makes me glad I rent from Netflix."

The M. Scatonic Public Library was massive. The first floor alone was built like a labyrinth, with the shelves upon shelves of books serving as walls. The building was three floors high, and from the outside, an ominous-looking clock tower jutted out high above the roof. The center of the library contained a large pillar, like a major support beam, but square and made out of bricks.

Randy and Dexter had steered Dani away from that area each time they'd wandered close to it.

"You guys wait here," Dani told them after another five minutes of fruitless searching. "I'm going to hunt down something that can help."

"Like what?" Randy asked as she began walking away.

"Like a card catalog," Dani called back, then stopped short when she saw out the corner of her eye that Randy and Dexter were both staring blank-faced at her. "It's basic library science. My older sister taught me... forget it."

Once she was out of sight from Randy and Dexter, and had made certain no one else was looking, Dani went invisible and intangible. Walking through several shelves, Dani maneuvered toward where she guessed the computerized library card catalog might be.

"So much for reading being cool," she muttered, coming out on the other side of the rows of shelves. "Wonder what the two of them really do here. They can't be using the computers to look at–"

Dani found herself cut off as a trail of white cool breath drifted up from her mouth and out of her nostrils.

"No way," she insisted. "It can't be..."

A shrill screaming resounded from a few stacks over, breaking her out of her shock.

"Huh," she said, feeling a dull sort of surprise. "Did somebody forget their library card?"

Further evidence appeared in the form of a panicked mob racing past. Dani stuck her head out in time to catch several stragglers screaming as they made tracks away from what looked like one of the computer rooms.

"Servers must be down," Dani said thoughtfully, peering through the opened doors inside the room. "Though, you normally don't see people panic over that until mid-terms."

The inside of the computer room was dark. Dani peeked through the open door, finding it deserted. The soft glow from the monitors cast everything in an eerie light.

"Guess it was a false alarm," she told herself. "Though, when has mine or Danny's ghost sense ever gone off by mistake?"

As if the universe were giving her confirmation, one of the nearby monitors flashed and sparked. Smoke rose up out from the machine, changing colors to a bright pink in the process. As it drifted toward the ceiling, a shape began to form within the smoke. A pink-colored brain, complete with eye stalks and tendrils, flexed and spun into being.

"Ahh, you should consider yourself blessed on this most fortuitous day, mortal creature!" the pink brain cloud shouted. "For I, Brainstorm, have come to absorb all the ancient wisdom from these long-forgotten tomes."

"Dude, just fill out a library card application," Dani snarked, giving the ghost a deadpan expression. "They'll let you take the books home with you. Just don't bring them back late, or there's a fine."

"Silence!" Brainstorm shrieked. "Modern technology has dampened the minds of today's youth. I shall destroy these modern machines, then drain the knowledge from all of these books so that my mental capacity grows stronger! While the rest of the world allows their collective consciousness to rot with the likes of television and cable TV."

"For the love of... it's called YouTube these days." Dani took a confrontational step forward and glared up at the loudmouth ghost. "You must've been behind the times before you died. Either way, I'm going ghost!"

Twin rings sprung out from Dani's middle. As they passed up and down her body, her clothing began to change. Gone were the red and black neo-goth clothes. A white and black jumpsuit, bearing a D/P emblem on the front, covered her form. Dani's eyes now glow a florescent green color, and her hair was snow white.

"And just when I thought things would be quiet here," she said, though not exactly upset. "Prepare to have your butt kicked now."

A single ecto-ray blast fired from Dani's palm knocked Brainstorm out of the air and down to the floor. The floating pink brain cloud splattered on the carpet with a noticeable 'squish' sound and lay there for a second.

"That's all you had?" Dani asked, taking a couple of steps forward. "After all that big talk, you go down on one hit."

The pink brain cloud rose up off the floor suddenly, catching Dani off her guard.

"I am far too powerful and superior a being to fall prey to such an obvious and pathetic mortal trick," Brainstorm proclaimed. "Have you never before heard of the proverb regarding the adjective of 'playing possum'. Why, was I–"

Dani cut him off by firing several more bursts of her ecto-ray.

"Would you just _please_ stop talking?!" she cried out, keeping up the spray of fire.

"Hey, watch it!" Brainstorm shouted, ducking and weaving out of the way of her blasts. "You'll put someone's eye out with those!"

Dani flinched as Brainstorm rushed her, zipping over her head and through the open doors into the main area of the library.

"Oh, great!" she grumbled, taking to the air after him.

Near the main pillar, in front of an old painting of some elderly woman, Brainstorm came to a stop and hovered momentarily.

"Come to me, ancient wisdom," Brainstorm cried out, causing one or two books to levitate off their spots on the shelves. "Give me the strength to defeat my foes!"

The levitating books moved toward Brainstorm for a moment, but then halted. Dani came to a stop in mid-air and watched as the books shook and fell to the floor.

"That was it?" she asked, bewildered and amused at the same time. "Not much to brag about. Oh well. I'm sure it happens to a lot of ghosts."

"This is..." Brainstorm fumbled. "...merely a momentary setback. For as Brainstorm, I cannot be overcome without–"

"Attack pattern Zeta!"

"Wait, what?" Brainstorm said, searching the area with his eye stalks for the interruption. "Who said that? That isn't right."

Dani was confused by the battle cry as well, and wasted precious seconds wondering to herself what 'Attack pattern Zeta' meant. This gave two equally oddly-dressed figures the opportunity they needed to spring on both her and Brainstorm.

Sadly for the one attacking Dani, though, her reflexes were much faster than his or Brainstorm's. In the blink of an eye, his spectral katana was blown away and he found himself flying back into a roll on the floor.

"This day keeps getting weirder," she said, observing her attack with some mild amusement. "And I thought Amity Park was strange. Who the hell are you supposed to be, anyway?"

The second black-clad ghost hunter was busy firing away with his ecto-pistols at Brainstorm, who kept dodging out of the way. This was made easy, to Dani's mind, by the fact that the figure couldn't aim well.

"You do realize that you're just wasting shots doing that, right?" she called out. "You have to lead him over to a spot where he's vulnerable, then have someone else contain him."

"What?"

The figure looked back over his shoulder at her. Unfortunately, he was still firing, but no longer looking at where his ecto-pistols were aimed at. Several hanging lamps went out one after the other from the ecto-pistol's blasts.

"Oops," the voice under the helmet said.

"Nice shooting," said the other one standing closer to Dani. "Hey, have you seen my spectral katana anywhere?"

"Oh, for the love of..." Dani channeled her frustration into her ecto-ray and blasted it directly at Brainstorm, who was just beginning to conjure electrical energy around him.

"Your incompetence shall mark your doom," he cried out joyously. "For as Brainstorm, I–"

Dani's blast caught Brainstorm right between the eye stalks, blasting him backward through the old painting hanging on the brick pillar. The painting seemed to glow for a moment from Dani's ecto-ray, shining even after Brainstorm phased through it.

"What I wouldn't give to have packed a Fenton Thermos before moving," Dani grumbled, before turning to the two would-be ghost hunters. "Okay, the two of you can relax now. The big bad ghost cloud is gone."

The hunter with the ecto-pistols immediately aimed them at her. The second one looked around furiously for his spectral katana, happily locating it a moment later next to a children's book display.

"All right," the one with the katana said, brandishing it wildly. "Now I'm ready."

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" Dani asked in response, not feeling threatened in the slightest. "And hey, who are you guys supposed to be, anyway?"

"We're the Specter Detectors," the one with the spectral katana said. "Ghost hunters of Kingsport Falls."

Dani waited for a punchline that never came.

"And you both just let a Class 1, Semi-corporeal, Roaming Vapor escape," she pointed out, nodding up toward the painting where Brainstorm had vanished through. "Not to mention costing the library several broken bulbs. I'm guessing neither one of you has been doing this for long."

"Hey, we're missing a team member," the one with the spectral katana protested, earning him an elbow strike in retaliation. "We're not–Oof! Ow!"

"I'm so out of here," Dani declared, giving the two a wave as she began floating up toward the ceiling. "Maybe you guys should consider a career change before you get yourselves hurt. Ghost hunting isn't a game, you know."

"Hold up!" the other one with the ecto-pistols cried out. "Ah, what's your name?"

"Phantom," she said nonchalantly before phasing through the ceiling. "Dani Phantom."

The two stared dumbstruck up at the ceiling for several moments after Dani Phantom vanished from sight. As one, in unison, they turned toward each other.

"Not possible," Dexter said.

"Don't buy it either, myself, Hoss," agreed Randy. "The new girl in town, Dani Kraven, is a ghost?"


	2. S1E2 -- Silence from the Library

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

Episode 2 – Silence from the Library

" _There's no escaping the sound of terror!"_

Episode Guide: A ghost haunting the local library inadvertently makes Dani Phantom the target of her new ghost-hunting classmates.

 _All of Amity Park was in ruins. Dani stood before the fanged, caped creature as he leered down at her, certain she was helpless. Behind Dani crouched the injured Tucker and Sam._

 _She had promised. That was all that mattered._

" _I'm not going out without a fight," she swore, changing back into her ghost form without the usual battle cry she shared with her 'big brother'. "And you aren't taking either of them!"_

 _The looming figure just laughed and unleashed an ecto blast from one hand. Dani responded by surrounding herself and her brother's friends with an ecto shield bubble. The blast rattled off the walls, but the shield held._

 _For now._

" _Dani," Sam muttered. "Stop. You can't. You'll..."_

 _Sam was cut off as her injuries caused her body to spasm. Dani ignored Sam and kept her focus on maintaining the force shield. The monster in front of her was attacking by firing blasts with both hands now. Its face–both alien and familiar at the same time–snarled with rage._

" _Don't do it," a weakened, helpless Tucker called out to her, one arm stretched out in helpless frailty. "If you keep this up, you'll..."_

 _The evidence was already puddled around Dani's feet. Her body was eroding away. She'd burned way too much energy before from the earlier battle. Vlad's forces had done serious damage, but the war was far from over._

" _I can't stop," Dani whispered feebly, even as she felt the last of her remaining strength pool out of her body. "At this rate, I won't make it. But there's gotta... be a way."_

 _Then came the laughter, the laughter that she would remember for the rest of her life. It rang through the empty neighborhood and off the surrounding buildings. All of them were deserted. They were alone, and it didn't look like help was coming..._

Danielle's eyes snapped open in surprise.

She was alone in her bedroom, the one her 'aunt' and 'uncle' had given to her the day she arrived in Kingsport Falls. There was no one else around. She was nowhere near Amity Park, and the war was long over.

Downstairs, the sounds of people moving about reverberated up the stairs and through the walls of the large townhouse. To further drive home the fact that she needed to get up, her alarm clock went off.

"All right," Dani moaned irritably, hitting the switch. "All right, fine."

Tossing her legs over the side, Dani sat slumped over for a moment, willing herself to officially start the day. Help came in the form of her cell phone going off. Staring at it bleary-eyed, Dani reached over and knocked the phone off the stand beside her bed in a misguided attempt to pick it up. Once she'd fished the phone off the floor and activated the screen, her facial expression changed.

More in particular, she grinned.

"Yes!" she cried out, overjoyed.

Moving quick as a flash, Dani rushed over to her laptop. The message had a video attachment, but bringing it up on her laptop computer meant she could watch on a much larger screen. In moments, Dani had the file downloaded and ready to play.

"Hi, sweetie!" came the voice and image of Maddie Fenton, waving enthusiastically. "Thought you might like this video message instead of an e-mail. Do kids even use e-mail on Earth nowadays? Oh, well. You can answer me that in your reply, if you'd like."

Dani found herself laughing, elated at the sight of her mother.

"Things are still going real well, dear," Maddie continued. "Your brother and sister are getting along real well. We're making so much progress with this project. I really think the discoveries made on this platform could affect future generations for years to come."

Dani paused the video for a moment, looking at her adopted mother's face. Maddie looked so proud and so happy. It hurt to know that her whole family was so far away. Wiping a tear away, she hit the 'Play' button to resume.

"Everyone keeps talking about you, honey," Maddie told her. "I know you're still disappointed that you can't come. I hope the Kravens are taking good care of you. Let us know how things are going at your new school."

Dani laughed, thinking about how her first day had gone and the new friends she'd made.

"Sorry the others couldn't be here for this recording, sweetheart," Maddie explained to her, sounding regretful. "Danny and Jazz had to take the Fenton Sojourner One out to run some tests on the residuals from the anomaly. Your father's testing some new equipment with Tucker and Sam. And Dash is giving Valerie a hand with her father in the laboratory."

"That's okay, Mom," Dani whispered quietly. "I just needed to see you today. Thanks for that."

The recording of Maddie Fenton didn't reply, of course, but Dani didn't care.

"Next time, though, I'll have the whole family here to wish you well," Maddie assured her. "Take care until next time, and don't forget to send us a response. You can even record it, if you want. The transmitter will beam the message right into space. It'll be like we're having conference calls with each other on different coasts."

"Yeah!" came Jack Fenton's loud voice, booming from off-camera. "You know, instead of hundreds of thousands of miles above Earth's orbit."

"Jack," Maddie said, the patience in her voice reminding Dani of a razor's edge. "Didn't you tell me you were going to be testing the new equipment?"

"Yeah, but the fudge is in here," Jack replied jubilantly. "Besides, the kids said you were sending a message to Dani, and I thought she might like to get a gander at the new Fenton Booster Rocket Boots. They can blast you off the platform and into space at Mach Two. See, you just..."

The sound of jet boosters firing rang out off out of the camera's view. Maddie shook her head and looked apologetically at the camera while smoke drifted by.

"See you soon, sweetie," Maddie said. "Come on, Jack. Let's go down to the infirmary so I can have a look at those burns."

The video ended there.

Dani stared at the image of her mother frozen in mid-motion, reaching out to switch off the record feed. Seeing her brought a plethora of emotions up to the surface. Dani stayed seated in her chair for a few minutes, taking deep breaths.

She was homesick. It really was that simple. She missed her family and her friends. She missed her brother and sister-in-law. She missed fighting ghosts alongside Danny, something she had been doing since Jack and Maddie were able to finally stabilize her. Granted, they'd kept a lower profile with her compared to 'Danny Phantom'.

It had been because of the Guys In White. After the Ghost War, the Guys In White had set up shop permanently in Amity Park. The government had deemed it necessary, and privately, Dani and all the Fentons hadn't wondered if they didn't make a good point. Danny Phantom was granted 'protected status' by the government, however, for his bravery.

That hadn't extended to her, though, which was something that had infuriated her and the rest of her extended family. In the end, though, it did give her an occasional advantage. Few people knew about the 'ghost girl', even with the occasional scattered sightings here and there. She'd been her big brother's backup.

The Fentons were off in space now, studying some bizarre spectral anomaly that had appeared near the beginning of the year. Dani so deeply wanted to be with her family now. The idea of going into space was fantastic by itself.

Instead, she was stuck on Earth, two thousand or so miles from the California sunshine, living on the much gloomier New England coast, and having the Kravens as 'aunt' and 'uncle'.

"Breakfast!"

Aunt Caroline's yelling snapped Dani out of her more maudlin thoughts. Shaking her head, she stood up out of her desk chair and set about getting ready for the day. Twenty minutes later saw her trotting down the stairs to the third floor.

"Oh, good! You're up." Aunt Caroline smiled in greeting as Dani yawned, walking past her aunt for the plate of food set aside near the stove. "I was afraid I might have to go up there and shake you. You're as bad as Wes sometimes when it comes to getting out of bed."

"Mm," Dani muttered unintelligibly, too focused on taking her pick of the bacon and eggs that her aunt had fixed.

Dani was dressed in her usual neo-goth ensemble. Her aunt, by contrast, wore a long, flowing dress colored a deep rich brown. A shawl hung over Caroline's shoulders and wrapped around her upper arms, giving Dani's aunt a slight bat-like appearance. Caroline's curly blonde hair hung down to her hips like a brightly-colored cape.

Uncle Paul, by comparison, was done up in an old eighteenth-century costume suit. Someone, possibly Uncle Paul himself, had died it contrasting dark blue and bright gold colors. A tall, wide-brim top hat rested atop his head. It was obvious–more so than Aunt Caroline–that he was dressed for work.

Dani had been living with them for over a week, and she still wasn't quite used to it. Then again, she'd gotten used to seeing her parents wear jumpsuits everywhere they went. It may have not been enough time yet.

"Is Wes even up yet?" Uncle Paul asked from his desk over by the table.

Wes was Aunt Caroline and Uncle Paul's son. Just a couple of years younger than Dani–as long as you went by appearances and nothing else–he had already ingrained himself as Dani's annoying little brother despite her having moved to Kingsport Falls just a week or so prior.

"He got up early," Aunt Caroline said while Dani took a seat at the table near her uncle. "Said something about his blog. I didn't catch the details. He said he'll be down soon."

"Then I'm not as bad as he is," Dani retorted playfully, speaking around the bite of bacon in her mouth.

"At least he was awake," Aunt Caroline countered with, though not unkindly.

"And I'm dressed and ready for school," Dani pointed out, turning around to give her aunt a look.

"She has you there, dear," Uncle Paul said, smiling as he rifled through several papers on his desk.

"Hush, you!" Aunt Caroline's face went from sharp to endearing as she glared over toward her husband. "Dear, are you all right? Your aura's looking a bit brown. Did anything happen?"

Aunt Caroline was speaking to Dani, watching her closely with that look that reminded Dani of her father whenever he was trying out the Fenton X-Ray goggles.

"I'm fine," she insisted, feeling uncomfortable under her aunt's intense gaze. "I got an e-mail from Mom and Dad this morning. I guess it made me a little homesick, is all."

"Ah, I see," Aunt Caroline said, rounding the half-island to take a seat next to Dani. "How are your mother and father, anyway? I haven't heard from them since they came to drop you off with us."

"Calm down, Caroline," Uncle Paul said, keeping his eyes fixed on one of the old books opened on his desk. "It makes sense they'd contact her before us."

"I'm not making a fuss," Aunt Caroline insisted, looking offended by Uncle Paul's statement. "I just wondered how they were doing."

"They're both fine," Dani told her aunt very quickly. "From the sound of things, everybody's fine. Dad had an accident with the Fenton Booster Rocket Boots while Mom was recording, but that's normal for space and on Earth."

Aunt Caroline made a face, then rolled her eyes upward.

"That's vintage Jack Fenton for you," she grumbled. "I don't think a week of college went by without him setting someone or something on fire with one of his crazy inventions."

Uncle Paul laughed.

"Remember that crazy ghost world portal he tried to pass off as real?" he said between chuckles. "What a trip! Still can't believe poor Vladdie got hurt from that thing, though."

Dani automatically went tense at the mention of Vlad Masters' name. Aunt Caroline noticed, and shot her husband a dirty look.

"It's all right, sweetheart," she said, brushing a lock of hair out of Dani's face. "I know your family was close to Vlad. Such a pity what happened to him."

That hadn't been what Dani was thinking about, though she knew her aunt wouldn't know or accept why she had been upset in the first place.

"It's been ten years, almost," she told her aunt instead. "Kinda hard to forget, even after so long."

The conversation was broken up by the sound of feet stomping down the stairs. A bleary-eyed Wes Kraven entered the breakfast room dressed for school, or his closest approximation thereof. The thirteen-year old marched to the kitchen, school bag slung over one shoulder, without saying a word and returned minutes later with the breakfast plate.

"Morning, son," Uncle Paul said, looking up from the book he was studying. "Finish posting on your blog?"

"The Freemasons tried to keep me from successfully updating by slowing down the WiFi signal using Malware," Wes grumbled, pushing the breakfast plate aside. "Fortunately, I had already prepared a counter-measure using a program one of my supporters created to block Illuminati profiling."

Wes reached into his bag and pulled out his laptop, then set the machine up on the breakfast table next to the plate. Dani, meanwhile, finished eating and stood up to put her own plate away.

"Thanks for breakfast, Aunt Caroline," she said on her way back through.

"You're welcome, sweetie," her aunt replied absent-mindedly as she read over her son's shoulder. "Did you make any friends yesterday?"

"I'm holding out for the position of Misunderstood Loner," Dani replied, circling the breakfast table. "That way, I can be falsely accused of attempting to bring down the school's police state from the inside."

"Not a chance," Wes told her without looking up from the screen. "Principal Peaslee is working for the Shadow Education cabinet, who are in league with the Sauron people."

"That's racial profiling, son," Uncle Paul warned. "Just because some folks are lizards, that doesn't make them evil. Hollywood lives to perpetuate stereotypes."

"If I see any lizard people today," Dani told Uncle Paul, stopping long enough to give him a short hug. "I'll make sure not to jump to any conclusions regarding them. What are you studying, by the way?"

Uncle Paul let go of Dani and held up the book in front of him so that Dani could see for herself.

"It's a research text on the Al Azif," he explained, pointing to several passages. "These parts may have come from the ancient tome itself."

"Cool," Dani acknowledged. "Well, I have to finish getting ready for school, or else I'll be late."

"Don't use the same bathroom as I am," Wes warned as she headed for the stairs.

"Why?" Dani called back, taunting. "Are the Illuminati spying on teenage girls through the faucet?"

"No," Wes replied calmly, and he actually looked up away from his screen at her. "It's just that the bathroom always smells after you finish using it."

Dani gave Wes a withering look that would have felled a lesser man.

"You will be punished," she warned. "But later."

The Kravens occupied a four-floor townhouse near the historical district of Kingsport Falls. The two upper floors were the residential area. This was where the family lived. The townhouse had originally been a duplex, but the Kravens renovated when they bought the place.

It was the two lower levels that Dani found the most interesting. The senior Kravens ran a museum dedicated to the spooky and odd. The Kraven Museum of Preternatural History and Paranormal Horror had all kinds of cool junk that was reputed to have come from haunted sites around the world. Ordinarily, Dani would have taken a quick tour of the place before heading off for school. Today, though, she was running late and needed to get going.

Leaving by the front door, Dani noticed a small crowd of early-risers gathering at the street's edge, waiting for the museum to officially open.

"Excuse me, miss?" one of the people in the crowd–a gray-haired man wearing black eyeliner–asked, calling to her. "When–"

"Fifteen more minutes," she told the guy, cutting him off. "The owner just finished breakfast. He should be down shortly."

Dani headed off down the street quickly to avoid any more questions from those gathered. Once she was sure no one from the crowd was watching her, Dani ducked down the first alley she came to. There, amid the trash and sleeping bums, she held both arms out diagonally toward the ground.

"I'm going ghost!" she declared, triggering the transformation from Danielle Kraven to Dani Phantom.

A nearby bum coughed, muttered something about aliens, and buried himself deeper underneath the pile of rags he'd sought refuge with as the wind suddenly kicked up.

"I guess there's no harm in taking the short route to school today," she mused, before taking to the sky. "Especially if it means I can avoid detention!"

Flying off into the distance, Dani failed to notice a figure lurking in the shadows less than a block from the spot where she had taken off from. The figure in a white suit held up a pair of high-powered, digital binoculars to his eyes, using them to zero in on her weightless form.

"We have confirmation," the agent said into a bluetooth set in his ear. "She's here. Do we pursue and capture the target?"

"Not yet," replied the voice on the other end. "I want to see what this one does first."

The agent looked through the binoculars again and scowled, but took no further action.

"Understood," he said. "Agent Mu out."

The M. Scatonic Public Library opened at seven in the morning on weekdays. This was to allow any students in need of the facilities access. Heather McNamara and Angie Ellery were not normally the type of students who took advantage of this. Unfortunately for both, however, Alberta Wilmarth–Arkham High's English instructor and woman of many years and little patience–was expecting them to turn in their book reports by afternoon's end.

"It's just not fair," Heather whined, not for the first time that morning. "Pamela was the one who insisted the Fashion Club have emergency meetings all week long. How were we supposed to finish the dumb book report by now?"

"Just pick a book you've read before and double-check for details," a tired-eyed Angie suggested, having long ago stopped caring what Heather had to say.

"Can't we just print one of the book reports posted online out and turn that in?" Heather offered hopefully as they rounded one of the stacks.

"Wilmarth will be able to tell," Angie replied as they came up on the large brick pillar that decorated the center of the library. "She's been at Arkham forever. Nobody ever gets away with that old trick on her watch."

Heather stopped short, starring up at the painting of the old librarian. The sight of it made her shiver. Angie had already left her behind, though her friend did turn back after a few more steps, sensing there was something amiss by the lack of Heather's irritating voice.

"I hate this place," Heather grumbled, once she saw that she had Angie's attention again. "It's so creepy and weird. Some people say it's haunted!"

"Look, we haven't got much time left," Angie told her, her patience already worn thin. "My dad will kill me if I get a failing grade on this report."

"Right," Heather sulked, looking positively hopeless.

"Once we get started, things will look up," Angie told her, trying to be more reassuring than she felt. "Find a book you've read and jot whatever comes to mind down."

"Okay," Heather said reluctantly. "Um, where's the children's section?"

Angie had been on the verge of walking away when Heather's question stopped her. Unseen above both of their heads, the painting began glowing a bright green color.

"Children's section?" Angie asked, confused. "Why would–?"

There was a pause as comprehension dawned on her face. Heather, meanwhile, had at least the decency to look chagrined.

"The last book you read was when you were a kid," Angie stated while, above her head, a translucent figure reached out achingly from the painting, grasping at air.

"It's not my fault!" Heather insisted loudly. "Reading is... hard. I always liked the kid's picture books, though. The colors in them were pretty."

"Shh! Keep your voice down," Angie warned. "We're in a library, after all."

Heather snorted disdainfully while, unbeknownst to her, the semi-corporeal figure took shape out of the painting and materialized as an elderly woman in the air above their heads.

"So?" Heather wondered, unaware of the danger. "Nobody else is around. I doubt anyone's been in this place for years. Who reads anymore, anyway?"

"You were supposed to," Angie told Heather directly, growing angry now and raising her own voice. "And so was I. If I'd done this a week ago instead of doing what Pamela always said, I'd have finished by now, and I wouldn't be here with–"

"SSSSIIIIIILLLLLLEEEEENNNNNNNCCCCCEEEEE!"

The cry shook the shelves, rattled windows in the distance, and sent books tumbling off the shelves onto the girls' heads. Angie and Heather were both caught by the bone-shaking wail. Staggering off balance, they both covered their ears in pain, but then forgot all about it as the ghost hovering above their heads finally came into full view of them.

"YYYOOOUUUU AARRREEEE MMMAAAKKKIIINNNGG TOOOOO MMUUUCCCHHH NOOOIIIISSSEEEE!" the librarian ghost shrieked. "GGGEEEETTTTT OOOOOUUUUUTTTTTT!"

In unison, Heather and Angie both screamed. Heather raced past Angie, beating a path for the door first, but Angie followed close behind. On their heels–figuratively speaking–the librarian ghost floated after them, still wailing.

"GEETTTTTTT OOOOUUUUUTTTTT!"

"I'm sorry!" Heather cried, tears rolling down her face as she broke through the main doors into the sunlight. "I promise! I'll never read another book again!"

"Shut up and run!" Angie barked at her, seizing Heather by the arm before racing for the other side of the street.

Behind them, the Librarian stopped short at the door frame and watched, her face a mask of rage and spite. For a moment, she eyed the two girls as they continued to run, making a beeline for the school gates across the street. Once they were out of sight, she slammed the doors shut with a supercilious wave of her arms.

"MMMIIIINNNNNEEE!"

"Let me get this straight," Alice said, eyeing Randy and Dexter skeptically. "You two fought the same Roaming Vapor we encountered the other night at the library yesterday."

"Correct," Dexter affirmed.

"F'sho," added Randy.

"And then, a Class 5, maybe even a Class 7, showed up and kicked both of your asses."

"She was fully-sentient and corporeal," Dexter insisted, growing excited. "Even had a name."

"Told us both her name was Dani Phantom," Randy said, remaining relatively more calm than his long-haired friend.

"And you both think that, because the new girl's name is Danielle," Alice surmised, "the ghost you saw was her."

The trio was sitting outside Arkham High under one of the nearby trees, waiting for the bell to ring. None of the security guards were paying them any attention so far. Alice had the sneaky suspicion one was sleeping while standing up. His eyes kept blinking real fast, like he was having Rapid Eye Movement.

The other students milled about, all while being surveyed by an irate-looking Principal Peaslee, who had braved leaving his office to observe the student body–though, not without his two guards. Rumor had it the school was coming under fire because of the incident in the library yesterday afternoon. By the look of things, Peaslee was not pleased.

The trio had already discussed the possibility that Peaslee was making up a list of suspects based solely on who he thought he could away with blaming the whole thing on. So far, it was a three-way tie between Danielle, for being the new kid; Dexter, because his parents would never challenge the school board over it; and that one sophomore who liked to set wastebaskets on fire.

"Could've been her," Randy insisted, continuing the conversation. "Same build and whatnot. Just th' eyes and hair were different."

"And I'm sure you studied her very closely yesterday," Alice retorted, giving Randy a glare. "Close enough to know that they're the same person. No question."

"We didn't find Dani in the library afterward," Dexter offered. "There's that."

"She probably ran out along with the rest of the panicked crowd." Alice waved a hand dismissively. "That's what sensible people do during a haunting."

Dexter and Randy were getting frustrated.

"Look, I'm not saying that either of you are wrong," Alice began, before pausing "And I cannot believe I just said those words with a straight face. Either way, Dani _could_ be a ghost, but we don't have proof. We need solid evidence before going to the Professor about this."

"Guess this means we'll be spendin' more time with th' new girl," Randy said, giving Dexter a knowing smile.

"'Sacrifice' is our middle name," Dexter declared.

Alice shook her head, planting her face in one palm.

"Is it too much to ask that both of you at least figure out whether you want to date her or trap her?" she asked wearily.

"We can't do both?" Dexter responded with, meaning it.

The bell rang, summoning the student body to their respective classrooms to begin the day. Principal Peaslee watched the teenagers go, giving each one that made eye contact with him a look that reminded them of a paranoid weasel.

"Another thing," Randy whispered softly to Dexter as the three of them trudged off to class. "What's 'Attack Pattern Zeta', anyhow?"

"Huh?" Dexter wondered. "Oh. I dunno. I was just making things up on the fly."

Randy shook his head and spotted Danielle in the crowd, but didn't get a chance to speak with her. Neither he nor Dexter had a class with her until sixth period. Alice, on the other hand, had both Biology and American History with Dani. During both classes, and all through lunch, she watched Dani as though expecting the girl to start levitating and spit out globs of pea soup.

Biology was taught by Mr. Drummond Lake, a very dry-voiced man possessing little in the way of humor or patience. Alice privately wondered sometimes whether or not the man would one day wrinkle his brow in frustration to the point that it froze that way. It was a good thing that her face didn't betray her thoughts, and that she was one of Mr. Lake's favorite students. Alice could tell she was one of Mr. Lake's favorites because the man never called on her. He always reserved questions for those he suspected weren't paying close attention, the ultimate in humiliation for the academic-minded.

This would have worked had Arkham High not been filled with minds numbed by modern society and the public school system.

"Ear canal," Mr. Lake was saying, pacing about the room while searching for his next prey. "By which humans are able to receive sounds and translate them via the brain. It is at least partly composed of... what, Mr. Alwyn?"

Tony Alwyn was the school's star lacrosse player. His eyes always drooped slightly whenever class was in session. Alice hung her head and waited. She really wished Mr. Lake would find someone new to pick on.

"Bone?" Tony Alwyn offered, looking surprised to hear his name called out. "Um, skin?"

"Cartilage, Mr. Alwyn," Lake said, letting out a low hiss between his clenched teeth. "Perhaps if you cleaned your own ears out, you could hear better and learn something."

It would have been funny, except for the fact that almost everyone had been the figure of ridicule by Mr. Lake at some point. A few students snickered, but overall, no one found Lake particularly funny. Curious, Alice turned in her seat while Lake's had his back to her and watched Dani's expression for a moment. The new girl looked like she wanted to kick the Biology teacher in the teeth.

That, or something far worse, which made Alice wonder.

Lunch time was with the guys. Alice tried to keep watch for Dani while waiting in line, but somehow, the new girl got ahead of her. Dexter and Randy were already waiting at the usual spot with their trays. They were, at the very least, maintaining surveillance on Dani, but Alice had the feeling they'd momentarily forgotten about the possibility that Dani was a ghost.

Even worse, though, Alice found herself in front of Angie Ellery.

"Hey, Alice," Angie said while the lunch ladies doled out reheated food. "Long time, eh?"

Alice thought that Angie sounded a bit uneasy. Quickly, she looked around to check and see if the rest of the Fashion drones were anywhere nearby. Alice didn't care what Angie's club of sycophants thought of her, but at the same time, she could do with as little contact with them as possible. No one else from the Fashion Club was around, though.

"Oh, sorry," Alice responded after waiting longer than necessary. "I didn't realize we were speaking to each other again. Aren't you worried the over-glossed freaks you call friends will give you demerits?"

Angie looked like she was going to be angry for a second. Then, to Alice's surprise, her face sort of crumbled. A long, weary sigh escaped past her former friend's lips.

"I deserve that," Angie said. "Sorry. Forget I said anything."

Despite her efforts to stave it back, Alice found herself feeling guilty for what she'd said. Glancing back, she saw Angie stare down at her tray, apparently trying to look anywhere but straight ahead.

"You look tired," Alice noted, keeping her armor of sarcasm up all the same. "What happened to you last night? Emergency session over someone else buying titanium nail polish again?"

"I got up early this morning," Angie replied, her voice taking on a slightly icy tinge to it. "Heather McNamara and I have book reports that are due today."

"With Mrs. Wilmarth?" Alice guessed, digging into her pocket for her student lunch card. "Lemme guess. Neither of you has started yet."

"I finished mine earlier in the week," Angie retorted, getting her own card out to pay the lady at the cashier with. "Heather hasn't done hers yet, though, and I... well, I felt kinda bad for her, so I agreed to meet her this morning at the library."

Alice laughed, a very dry, mirthless sound.

"Did Heather need help figuring out how to get there?" Alice asked derisively. "Or was the really big sign out front on the opposite side of the school a big enough clue?"

Alice had already paid for her food. There was no reason for her to stick around, yet she waited while Angie paid. The lunch lady cashier kept giving Alice dirty looks the whole time, as though Alice were disrupting the monumental task of swiping a yellow card.

"She made it," Angie answered without a single trace of sarcasm to her voice, "but then... well, something weird happened. I guess somebody was playing some kind of prank."

"You should've explained to Heather McNamara that most libraries rent movies to the public nowadays," Alice said.

"There was this woman." It sounded like Angie was forcing the words out of her throat. "She was just... hanging in the air. And then she shouted. I thought my ear drums were gonna pop."

Neither one of them had moved. The lunch line was backing up and several people were shouting at them to move.

"It must've just been a joke," Angie finally said, speaking more to herself than Alice. "It had to have been."

Alice considered Angie's words for a moment, then called out to her old friend as Angie was walking away with her tray.

"Hey, Angie! What did this flying woman look like?"

Angie stopped, looked back over her shoulder, and hesitated briefly.

"You know that old painting in the middle of the library?" she asked Alice. "The one hanging on that big brick pillar? It looked like her."

American History was, by contrast, taught by Mrs. Fernanda Ashley, a woman in her forties who looked approximately half her age. Mrs. Ashley was, according to the opinion of the Arkham High male alumni, the most desirable woman in school. Half the class sat in rapturous attention, holding on to every word she said. The other half paid reasonably close attention as well in the hopes that she might say or do something that they could use to have her fired.

"I heard there was some kind of scare at the library yesterday," Alice whispered to Dani, leaning to the left in her desk so she could talk lower. "Dexter and Randy told me about it."

"No biggie," Dani replied, sounding unperturbed. "My old town had a lot of weird stuff, so you get use to that kind of thing."

Neither of them were in danger of being called on. Alice had been in Mrs. Ashley's class long enough to know the woman barely paid attention to herself. Mrs. Ashley's teaching style was to read notes for the class to jot down in the most monotone voice possible. If not for the fact that so many of her fellow students considered the woman to be a divine personification of beauty, Mrs. Ashley would've likely put the whole class into a coma long ago.

"The thing that really bothers me is that I didn't get all the books I need for school."

"I can help you with that," Alice offered, smiling in a way she hoped looked convincing. "Two summers during middle school, I volunteered at that place. I know where everything is."

"Thanks," Dani said, though Alice thought she looked reluctant.

"We'll go right after school."

True to her word, Alice was ready to leave when the final bell rang. Between classes, she had texted Dexter and Randy, giving them her plan and their roles in it. If all had gone well, the two were waiting for them at the library already. Alice walked with Dani across the street to M. Scatonic Public Library.

"If you need to use the restroom," Alice told Dani once they were inside the main entrance area, "they're over there."

Dani turned to where Alice was pointing.

"Oh, and..." Alice added, "sorry about yesterday. I guess I was in kind of a bad mood."

"No worries," Dani replied, before heading toward the restroom Alice had gestured to. "I won't take long."

"It's no problem," Alice called back, then quietly added while taking out her phone, "in fact, it's perfect!"

Alice quickly texted the others, instructing them to begin searching around the main pillar for spectral activity while she kept Dani busy. Alice didn't have very long. She was just putting her phone back when Dani came back out.

"I'm all set," Dani said.

"Same here," replied Alice.

The two girls had taken maybe ten steps into the library proper when a horrific wailing filled the air.

"GGGEEEEETTTT OOOOOOOUUUUTTTTTTTT!"

Alice and Dani both staggered backward. Winds whipped through the room, causing lamp fixtures to swing back and forth. Books were thrown from their shelves and people everyone cried out in alarm.

"Oh, for the love of... can't those two accomplish anything on their own?" Alice cried out bitterly.

Alice turned to warn Dani, but her library companion was already charging into the stacks, a determined look etched over her face.

"Okay, that I hadn't expected," Alice mused. "Assuming she's not a real ghost, that girl is brave!"

Dani, meanwhile, shape-shifted into Dani Phantom the moment the coast was clear. She was able to locate the source of the disturbance easily through a combination of her ghost sense and the ringing in her ears. Swooping onto the scene, she found Dexter and Randy being backed into a corner along with several others by the wailing ghost librarian.

"YYYOOUURRRR BBEEEIIINNGG FAAARRR TOOOO LLLOUUUUUUDDDDDD! GGGEEETTT OOOUUUUTTT NNNNOOOOOOWWWWW!"

"You could stand to lower the volume yourself," Dani quipped, flying up behind the woman, her ecto-ray powered up and ready. "This is a library, after all."

The Librarian didn't appear to have heard Dani. Dani opened fire from behind and blasted the Librarian away with little effort.

"Go!" she ordered the crowd. "She won't be dazed for long."

The whole of the crowd stared up at Dani in shock and awe.

"Oh, brother," Dani grumbled. "Fine, we'll have to do it this way. BOO!"

The crowd blinked in response to this, then simultaneously ran screaming away from Dani. Among them were Dexter and Randy, though neither was moving nearly as fast.

"Still can't believe that actually works," Dani said, frowning after the retreating horde, "but they're out of the way, at least. Now where did the Scream Queen go?"

Dani's question was answered in the form of a howl that rocked her out of the air, sending the ghost girl tumbling forward. The whole library appeared to spin while she tumbled to the ground. Having heard her older brother's Ghostly Wail before, she had an idea as to what just hit her from behind. That knowledge was useful, but did nothing for the headache and ringing in her ears.

"Ow," Dani groaned eloquently as she shook her head, finding herself on her hands and knees near the Historical section. "What else could go wrong?" 

In answer, a book slipped off the shelf from high up above her, conking her right on top of the head.

"Uph!" she groaned. "Well, that answers that question."

Blinking, Dani noticed the title of the book, then blinked and looked again.

"I don't believe..." she said, shocked. "This is one of my school books. I've been looking for this!"

"SSSIIIILLLLLEEEENNNNNCCCCEEEEE!"

The Librarian's wail rocked more books off the shelves, sending them down in a pile on top of Dani and burying her in them.

"YYYOOOUUU DOOOO NOOOTTT HHAAVVVEEE AAAA LIIIBRRAARRRYYY CCAARRDDD! YYOOUUU DOOO NOOTTT HAAAVVVEEE PPEERRRRMMMIIISSSIIOOOONNNN!"

Going intangible, Dani rose up from the pile she was buried under and glared across at the hovering Librarian, giving the deceased woman her dirtiest look.

"So sue me!" Dani shouted back, albeit with far less effect, firing her ecto-ray. "I'll fill out a damn form!"

The Librarian ducked and weaved out of the way of Dani's blasts.

"YYOOOUUUUU AAARRREEE NOOOTTT AAUUUTTHOOORRIIIZZZEEEEDD! YYOOOUU MMMAAAYY NNOOOTTT CCHHEEECKK OOUUTTT ANNNYYYTTHHIIINNGGGG!"

The Librarian's shrill shrieking put Dani off her guard. The ringing in her ears was becoming unbearable. When the Librarian took in what appeared to be a deep breath, she knew what was coming and braced herself. The wail shook the whole room, sending paintings off walls and shelves tipping over, knocking others down like dominoes and scattering books everywhere.

"My head," Dani moaned, struggling to maintain her ghost form as more books fell on her. "Sure glad I don't volunteer at this place. Alice will have her work cut out for her next summer."

"I've got my work cut out for me right now," came Alice's voice, shouting loud enough to be heard just barely above the Librarian's moaning wails. "Attack pattern Delta Gamma Four, guys!"

Dani whirled around at the sound of Alice's voice–a wasted movement, it turned out–only to be peppered by blaster spray from three figures in black ecto-armor. The one that sounded like Alice was using a wrist blaster. The same two from yesterday had ecto-pistols and some kind of high-powered blaster rifle.

"Watch it!" Dani shouted angrily, flying low to keep out of the range of their fire. "The bad ghost is over there."

Either none of them were listening, or they didn't care. In either case, Dani flew quickly along the ground under the Librarian ghost with the Specter Detectors hot on her trail.

The Librarian, meanwhile, looked livid.

"YOOUU AARREE MAAAKINNGG AA MEESSSS! STTOOOPPP THIISSS AATTT OOOONNNNCCEEEE!"

"Are you three blind?" Dani roared, livid with anger, as the Specter Detectors continued firing at her. "You just ran right past a ghost! What is wrong with you people?"

"Spectral filtration," said the tallest one with the spectral katana sheathed on his back, pointing at the helmet masking his face. "Filters out harmful ghost noise."

"You, on the other hand," said the one in Alice's voice, "are an unauthorized Class 7 spectral anomaly. Bagging you will make our careers."

Dani dodged as Alice fired at her with the wrist blaster.

"'Unauthorized'?" she wondered, growing very, very pissed at this point. "Who did you rip that line of dialogue off from? The Guys In White?"

"SSTTOOOOPPPPPP IIIIIITTTTTTTT!"

The ghostly wail that followed blasted all three Specter Detectors off their feet. Dani found herself flying backward through the air, and instinctively went intangible to avoid crashing into anything.

"Maybe these helmets don't work as well as the Professor said," mumbled Dexter, moaning painfully from atop a book cart.

"Shut up and take care of the screaming woman already," Alice barked, getting to her feet slowly from underneath a display case. "I'm going after the Class 7. Meet me when you're done here."

Randy watched as Alice took off, then gathered his ecto-pistols.

"Feels like we be gettin' the raw end of th' deal here somehow," he said, brushing a work by Nietzsche off his shoulder casually. "How 'bout you, Hoss?"

"That's different from every other day?" Dexter asked, before falling off the cart onto the floor.

The Librarian, meanwhile, was closing in. Her semi-corporeal form floated high above them for a moment, staring in horror at the damage done. It were as though the fallen books were the broken bodies of her children.

"YYOOUUUU DDDIIIIDDD THIIISSSS!"

"Fair point," said Randy, taking aim.

"SSSIIIIILLLLEEENNNNCCCEEEE!"

"Lady, keep it down, will you?" Dexter grumbled, drawing his spectral katana as he had lost his rifle in the fall. "You're in a library, after all."

Dani Phantom came to inside a cramped, dark space. Her form shifted back to Danielle Kraven, leaving her disoriented.

"Never did like being yelled at," she grumbled, getting to her feet. "Ugh, where am I?"

The space was narrow, but went up for what looked like several dozen feet at least. The air seemed to be traveling upward.

"Feels like an elevator shaft," she mused, staring up into the dim light high over her head. "Since when does this library have an elevator, and how'd I get inside it?"

To Dani's mind, she'd been near the middle of the main room. If the Librarian's ghostly wailing had blasted her this far away, she had to get back before those amateurs got themselves hurt. Concentrating, she shifted back to Dani Phantom with relative ease, then phased through the shaft wall by going intangible.

"Okay," said Dani, once she was out. "This is weird."

She was standing in the center of the main area of the library. In fact, it was just a few feet away from the spot where she'd tangled with Brainstorm yesterday. Behind her, the square brick pillar rose up to the ceiling, and hanging on the pillar was the painting of the same ghost she'd just been attacked by.

"So this is our ghost," she said, floating up to give the painting a much closer look. "And there's an inscription: 'Henrietta Armitage, Head Librarian and Founder of M. Scatonic Public Library.'"

The painting of the Librarian as a living person seemed to glare at Dani disapprovingly. Dani ignored the look and drifted back down to the carpet.

"This explains a lot," she said thoughtfully. "What it doesn't explain, though, is what a hidden elevator shaft is doing in the middle of the li–."

"Don't move, ghost! I've got you in my sights this time."

Dani turned at the interruption and saw Alice the Specter Detector pointing her wrist blaster directly at Dani's head. In the other hand, Alice gripped a glowing ecto-staff.

"I am taking you down," Alice declared, sounding very happy to be doing so. "You're gonna be the biggest grab of my life. Wait until the Professor finds out about this."

Sighing, Dani studied her opponent for a quick moment. Out of what she'd encountered so far, only Alice appeared to be the ghost hunter with any sort of competency. It was still a shock to learn that her classmate–the girl who'd given Dani a tour of the school and introduced her to Randy and Dexter–was a ghost hunter. Because of the battle, her brain hadn't registered the fact completely.

Given the circumstances, though, it was clear what Dani needed to do.

"I'm going down as the ghost hunter who bagged a Class 7, fully-corporeal specter all by herself," Alice was gloating all the while. "When people find out about this, there'll be–"

Dani silenced Alice by firing a small stream of ecto-ray energy out from the tip of her finger, pointing it like a gun. The blast fried the circuitry in the wrist blaster, rendering it useless. For good measure, Dani also blasted the ecto-staff out of Alice's other hand, leaving her unarmed.

"You were saying?" Dani asked, making it a challenge.

"RUN!"

Whatever feeble retort Alice had been preparing to make was cut off as the two remaining Specter Detectors charged past, racing for their lives. Coming up behind them fast on their heels was the very angry Librarian, wailing all the while. Dani dove to the side out of the way, forgetting that Alice was still in the Librarian's path.

Whirling around, Dani spotted Alice standing perfectly still. Her classmate was staring the Librarian down, holding what looked to Dani like an old hand vacuum. Alice aimed the vacuum at the Librarian as the ghost woman floated to a stop in front of the teenager.

Thinking fast, Dani fired a controlled blast of ecto-ray energy from her hand, hoping to push the girl harmlessly out of the way. The blast knocked Alice back, but also sent her careening into a bookshelf. The hand vacuum scattered to the floor, stopping a few feet from where the other two stood, looking terrified. At the sight of the vacuum, however, both young men lunged for it.

"Hey, I'm over here!" Dani called out to the Librarian, trying to get her attention. "Look, I'm being disruptive and messy and... not respecting people's rights to quiet reading time!"

To exemplify her point, Dani began knocking books off the shelves.

"Don't you think I'm being too loud?" she shouted at the Librarian woman, who hadn't seemed to notice Dani in spite of her efforts.

The Librarian's gaze remained fixed on the two goons in the armor, who were each wrestling with the vacuum in a frantic manner. To Dani, it looked like they were fighting over it.

"What is the matter with you two?" she screamed. "Run! Like you said before!"

The Librarian swooped down, ready to dive right into the both of them. Thinking fast, Dani charged forward, zipping through the air past the much slower-moving Librarian. Her solid form connected with the two, sending all three of them toppling to the floor out of the Librarian's path.

Dani came to a stop on top of both of them with the vacuum somehow clutched in her hands. Surrounding them were a set of shelves, forming a narrow alleyway.

"Are the both of you crazy?" she demanded, lifting herself weightlessly off them. "What is with this thing anyway?"

"It's a Polter-Vac," the taller of the two explained. "A ghost catcher."

Dani stared at the ghost hunter for a moment, wondering whether or not he was serious, then eyed the Polter-Vac.

"You're serious?" she asked.

"Look!" shouted the shorter one. "She's coming back this way."

Dani turned and saw that the ghost hunter who sounded a lot like Randy was indeed correct. The Librarian had turned and was charging for them between the two shelves they had fallen down between.

"Get behind me," she ordered, raising the Polter-Vac up. "I really, really hope this thing works like the Fenton Thermos."

"The what?" asked the Randy-sounding ghost hunter.

"Never mind," replied Dani as the Librarian closed on them. "Here we go!"

Depressing the button on the handle of the Polter-Vac, Dani grinned as she felt the device hum. A bright wave of energy blasted forth from the other end of the machine, encasing the Librarian in it. Henrietta Armitage's ghost gave one final howl of protest before being sucked inside.

"Rrreemmmeemmbbberrrr tooo brriinnggg theemmm baccckk onn timmmeee!" her voice echoed off the stacks after her form had vanished.

Dani smiled, giving the Polter-Vac a toss as she turned toward the two still standing behind her.

"Nifty," she said, catching it with one hand. "It's no Fenton Thermos, but not a bad idea. I guess this means you two can work out how it's done from now on."

"We both knew how to do that already," the tall, Dexter-sounding one insisted.

"Then what stopped you from doing it before?" she asked.

Neither said anything.

"I think the two of you mean well," she said carefully, passing the Polter-Vac on into the shorter one's hands. "But like I said before: ghost hunting is a dangerous business."

"Hey," the tall, Dexter-sounding one whined in protest. "We would've caught that ghost yesterday if you hadn't interfered."

Dani stared back, unmoved.

"The big, bad floating pink blob?" she countered with. "Yeah, he was a real handful. This one over here managed to knock out all of those really bright lights. The poor ghost would've been seeing spots otherwise."

Dani pointed toward Randy as she spoke mockingly.

"And even though I know you didn't mean to," she went on, turning to Dexter next, "that display of children's books really had it coming. I'm sure the kids appreciate you taking it out with your shiny sword."

"It's a spectral katana," Dexter retorted woefully.

It felt as though Randy was giving Dani a real nasty look now from behind his helmet.

"Insultin' a man's sword just ain't right," he muttered, giving Dexter a pitying look.

"I am so done here," Dani said, turning around to walk away very fast.

"You aren't going anywhere!"

At the mouth of the alley, Alice stood clutching her ecto-staff, looking ready to murder something.

"Can't you just stay down?" Dani wondered, getting exasperated. "I wasn't even trying to hurt you. I just wanted to–"

"Shut up!" Alice ordered, then looked past Dani at her comrades. "You two. Where's the Librarian ghost?"

"Here," Dexter answered, holding up the Polter-Vac.

"Seriously?" Alice asked, sounding excited as she lowered her ecto-staff and stepped forward. "Wow, you both actually managed to catch her? I didn't think the two of you had it in you. The Professor's going to be so happy."

"The Proffs might not be so happy t' find out what we had t' do to the library catchin' her," Randy replied nervously.

"And on that note," Dani said, floating up toward the ceiling, "I think I'll make my exit."

"Come back here," Alice ordered, shaking her fist impotently at Dani, who was already flying off out of sight. "D'oh! You haven't see the last of us!"

"Duh," Dani muttered, chuckling, going intangible before phasing through the ceiling. "I'll see all three of you tomorrow at school."

Back inside the library, the three would-be ghost hunters surveyed the damage.

"We should leave too," Alice decided. "The Professor will understand."

"And if not," said Dexter, already making his way toward the door and disabling his armored form, "we'll lie about it!"

"Good plan," Randy agreed, following suit.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Alice took off after her teammates, disabling her armor form, but clutching the Polter-Vac in one hand. As the three teens burst through the main entrance into the sunlight, the library went quiet. There was nothing to be heard but silence from the library.

That is, until the painting of Henrietta Armitage fell off the pillar onto the floor with a loud thud.


	3. S1E3 -- The Dunwich Alley Horror

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

Episode 3 – The Dunwich Alley Horror

" _Mall'd by the damned!"_

Episode Guide: Mysterious happenings at the local shopping center prompt Dani Phantom to investigate, and she finds herself working alongside a very unlikely ally.

"Girls! Girls!"

Mr. O'Neill's falsetto voice echoed into the ears of his employees like the shards of broken glass. Each female employee cringed and turned as one. O'Neill was an impeccable man dressed to the nines in a pink button-up shirt and golf slacks. His attire would not have seemed out of place over a half-century ago.

For the present time period, however, he was a living eyesore.

"It is nearly closing time, ladies," he trilled. "Let's not dawdle!"

The Fabulous Fabrics store was the chic place to shop for anyone who was a costume designer or did handmade clothes as a hobby. It stood out in Dunwich Alley between the toy store on the left and the punk accessories shop on the right. Mr. O'Neill had a reputation for hiring only attractive female employees to peddle his merchandise with.

He was by far and large the most loathed man in the shopping plaza, if only because his chipper attitude and obnoxious voice were hard on everybody's nerves. No one ever volunteered to stay late and help after hours. Each and every lady working there wrapped up their sales and finished stocking the shelves as soon as possible, then made tracks for the front door.

"Ta-ta for tonight, dears!" Mr. O'Neill chirped happily as the last two workers exited, moving like the hordes of the undead were hot on their heels.

O'Neill moved blissfully through his pride and joy, the Fabulous Fabrics shop, heedless as usual to how badly everyone else had tried to leave. He always stuck around for a little while longer before going home to his mother's house filled with its many cats. He liked to have a moment alone with the love of his life. Fabulous Fabrics had been a labor of love for him, one that took a long time to realize.

Mr. O'Neill was so enraptured that he didn't notice at first when one of the display mannequins turned its head to look toward him and stare. The movement did catch the corner of his eye, however, just as the mannequin froze.

"Oh, my!" he exclaimed, letting out a breathy gasp. "I... I must be seeing things again. Wonder how long it's been since I had my medication."

O'Neill's eyes remained transfixed on the mannequin that was staring–no, he was being silly– _looking_ in his general direction. A part of him was certain the mannequin had been facing the other way before. As it stood now, the mannequin's head was turned at a one-hundred and eighty degree turn, facing back behind itself, whereas it should have been pointed toward the display glass.

"Hmph," he decided, straightening his shoulders, "one of the girls must've done it as a silly little childish prank."

O'Neill kept staring even after he'd decided this. He was so intent on convincing himself that he didn't notice two other display mannequins inside the store doing the same thing. Both turned their heads silently, fixing him with what would have been a steely gaze had they not been missing eyeballs.

"Yes, just as I–" O'Neill's words stuck in his throat and he stopped in mid-turn at the sight of the mannequins staring at him inside the store. "Oh, dear!"

Mr. O'Neill remained rooted to the spot, refusing to look away. His razor-sharp eyes remained fixated on the plastic figures standing high above his head on the display stands.

"But that's–" he began, only to find himself cut off as the mannequins moved of their own volition, this time before his very eyes.

"–Impossible!"

O'Neill backed away, letting out little helpless squeaks of terror while the mannequins dismounted from the stands they'd been placed on. One after the other, they marched across the store through the stacks upon stacks of fabric rolls. The mannequins movements were jerky; robotic, as though being manipulated by puppet strings.

"But! But!" O'Neill squeaked out, terrified. "I take care of you! I..."

Down Dunwich Alley, the remaining stragglers emerged from the closing stores, only to stop short at the sound of a frightful shriek of pure horror. The shrill scream reverberated off the walls of the various shops and up into the glass archway that guarded shoppers from the pelting of raindrops. The scream didn't stop for what seemed like several minutes.

When the security guards finally located Mr. O'Neill a little bit later, he was lying on the floor surrounded by broken glass and wrapped up like a stuffed turkey in his own fabrics. The culprits had left a bright pink bow on top of his head.

"It was them!" he screamed hysterically once a security guard was able to remove the gag affixed to his mouth. "They did this! My babies..."

Mr. O'Neill paused, hiccuping, while tears streamed down his face.

"My babies," he tried again while bemused guards and shop personnel from other stores looked on in confusion. "Why did they do this to me?"

Outside the fabric store, several of the display mannequins stood apart from one another, positioned haphazardly as though they had stopped moving suddenly all at once. One was turned with the head pointed back toward the store. While the people inside struggled to contain the hysterical proprietor, the mannequin's eyes began to glow a bright red color. A wheezing sort of laughter filled the air around it.

" _Mmyyy ppeeettssss!"_

The M. Scatonic Public Library had been closed for nearly a week.

Following the big battle with the Specter Detectors and Henrietta Armitage, the Librarian, the library was closed to the public. The staff was tasked with picking up the mess, straightening the shelves back upright, and organizing all the books that had been scattered during the scuffle.

None of them had been especially pleased by any of this.

A construction crew was hired to repair the physical damage. Most of it was on the verge of wrapping up, but the library had reopened once everything had been put back in its proper place. Luckily, no one had traced any of it back to Danielle Kraven or her alter ego, Dani Phantom. The only other people who knew that she'd been there after the place emptied out were the Specter Detectors. If they'd squealed on her, however, it would have been Mutually Assured Destruction.

The downside to this, though, was that Dani hadn't spoken to her friends in that whole time. Alice, Randy, and Dexter were avoiding her. It was difficult, to be sure, to accept that your friends were ghost hunters–albeit not very good ones–when one was half-ghost. She had considered confronting them more than once, but backed off each time. It felt as though she didn't have all the facts yet, and Dani had learned over the years that getting the facts straight was imperative before you confronted someone over anything.

There had been that unfortunate incident when she'd mistaken Mr. Lancer for a Guys In White robot duplicate drone.

Therefore, Dani messaged home to her surrogate aunt and uncle, explaining that she was going to be working on a project after school. This gave her the excuse to go over to the library once the last bell rang. After entering, Dani made her way to the center of the main area. The place was crowded, which was admittedly inconvenient and annoying. However, Dani plucked a book off from a nearby shelf and held it up to her face, pretending to read it as she leaned casually against the pillar.

Once she was certain no one was looking her way, Dani went invisible and intangible, then phased into the solid brick pillar. The inside of it was, just like last time, hollowed out. A disguised elevator shaft rose up high into the darkness. Dani became Dani Phantom with a flash, then flew straight up the shaft, passing the second and third floors. The elevator kept going even farther beyond that. Dani recalled seeing a clock tower from outside and realized where the secret elevator must go to.

Sure enough, when she reached the end, a quick intangible peek outside confirmed that there was a hidden room at the top of the tower. Dani exited the shaft, but stayed in ghost form. She could hear familiar voices nearby.

"–looked in the town records already," said Alice, her voice drifting toward the airborne Dani from the next room. "Seems she was nearly deaf at the time she died."

"Guess that 'splains a lot," Randy mused, his voice a bit more difficult to make out comparatively. "Inna weird kinda way."

There was a moment of pause before Dexter raised his voice up.

"So what do we do now?" Dexter asked, evidently speaking to his two friends. "We did like the Professor asked and kept our distance."

"Hoss has a point," said Randy. "Can't avoid the new girl forever. She'll be askin' questions of her own soon 'nuff."

Dani was within sight of the others now, but none of them saw her. She was still invisible to the naked human eye. Quietly, she drifted through the air for a closer look. The inside of the clock tower had been renovated into a ghost hunter's personal lair. There were shelves and tables loaded down with equipment and weapons.

It was like she was back home in Amity Park.

"We make our move when the Professor tells us to," Alice insisted, speaking in what sounded to Dani like someone trying to be authoritative, but not understand how that worked. "We still don't have definitive proof Dani Kraven is the Class 7 ghost girl."

"How're we supposed to find proof?" Dexter asked. "We tried bringing a spectral scanner to class with us. The readings came back neutral."

"Hoss is right," Randy agreed. "Nuthin' so far says this girl's our tag."

Alice scowled at Randy.

"You were the ones who came to me insisting Dani was a ghost," she said pointedly, "or have you forgotten that part."

Randy shrugged in reply, but Dexter looked as though he wanted to vanish himself.

"Maybe we got it wrong," Randy offered.

"Or maybe you two have been watching her while thinking with the wrong head," Alice bit back. "If she is a ghost, it's our duty to capture her. She's a dangerous threat so long as she's at that school."

Alice opened her mouth to say more, but was cut off by her cell phone going off. Randy and Dexter both pulled their phones out as well at the same time. Dani frowned, wondering who could have texted all three of them at the same time.

"Anyway," Alice said, her voice growing thicker and much stiffer suddenly, "how goes those book reports. Since the library closed, the school's had to extend the deadlines for every class."

"Did mine already," Randy told her, his voice much cooler. "Wasn't hard. Just flipped through a couple pages, then Wikipedia'd the rest."

"The same," Dexter affirmed. "Although, mine was on a nonfictional book involving temporal physics. I'm not sure that was what Mrs. Wilmarth was talking about when she told me to 'expand my horizons'."

"She'll fail you," Alice told him with great certainty.

All three of their phones went off again. Dani began to have a creeping suspicion, especially when Dexter crouched down to pull a pair of goggles out of a dusty drawer near the floor.

"By the way," Dexter was saying as he raised up, "did the Professor show you the new Ecto-spectrometer goggles?"

Dexter passed the goggles to Randy for observation, who put them on. Alice, meanwhile, reached for something on the table.

"Cool," said Randy, doing a full three-hundred and sixty degree turn, stopping in the direction where Dani was hovering.

"Thanks," was all Alice said, before looking the exact same way.

Dani started to move, but it was already too late. Alice raised her hand up and took aim, revealing a stun gun-like weapon. Taking aim very fast, Alice fired one of the electrodes into Dani's stomach. There was a sharp sting of pain, then the world went white for her as energy raced through her body, shocking her out of the air and flashing her back to human form.

When Dani came to, three pairs of feet were standing around her.

"The ecto-spectrometer can detect ghosts who are invisible," Alice was telling her in a supremely smug-sounding voice. "And this is a Spectral Neutralizer. It–"

"–neutralizes ghost energy," Dani managed to get out as she struggled on to her feet. "I know. I know. I've seen one before. It just looked a little different than that model. It's how come I didn't recognize it right away."

"Don't move," said Dexter, holding the rifle she'd seen him with days ago. "I... I mean it! I'll... fire, or something."

"I'm completely convinced, Hoss," Randy told him, snatching the rifle from Dexter's shaking hands. "Gimme that b'fore you take somebody's head off."

"We've got you surrounded," Alice tried next. "I don't know how you changed so that you look human, but–"

"Alice."

The voice came from farther back, and was accompanied by the sound of a small engine, like the kind used to run a motorized cart. The trio turned as one toward the speaker. Dani blinked until she could see clearly again, then did the same.

"I'd like to have a word with her," came the woman's voice again. "Why don't you three go and double-check the settings on the containment fields."

It was unmistakably a dismissal. Alice in particular didn't look thrilled by the fact, but Dexter and Randy each seemed relieved to be leaving. As the three of them dispersed from around her, Dani finally clearly saw the woman who had ordered the ghost hunters away from her.

"At last we meet," said the woman in the motorized, computer-mounted wheelchair, smiling as she came into view of Dani. "I'm called Amelia Wraitheon and this is my hideout, I suppose you could say. You are Danielle Kraven, correct?"

Though she'd sensed before that her body had shifted back to human form, it was only now that Dani fully realized she was standing before a complete stranger. Her human identity–her cover–was completely blown.

"Don't be alarmed," Professor Wraitheon said quickly, noticing the very nervous look on Dani's face. "I believe exposing you would be a Catch-22."

Dani glanced away from the professor and searched the room. The interior of the clock tower was old. Dust clung to places that were far out of reach for an ordinary person. Equipment lay strewn all over the place, yet it had a certain ordered chaos to it. Honestly, the sight of all the ghost hunting equipment and cluttered disorder reminded Dani of her parents' lab in the basement of FentonWorks. A pang of homesickness struck her, so she focused her attention back on the mysterious Professor.

The Wraitheon woman was smartly dressed with sharp eyes that seemed to study Dani closely in spite of the relaxed expression she wore. Her ebony skin and full lips worked well against the long curtain of dark hair hanging down around her shoulders and the back of the chair. The hair looked messy, like it hadn't been combed in days. It was the most disorganized thing about the woman.

"I dunno," Dani mused, speaking at long last. "Seems like you guys have the home team advantage."

"Oh, I dare say we might make life inconvenient for you," Professor Wraitheon said, "but you'd get off easy in the end. After all, I doubt there are many parents in the world who'd smile upon an adult responsible for giving their children dangerous, untested weaponry and sending them into mortal peril."

Dani had to think back to her own parents for a brief moment.

"At least," she replied, "not without cookies and milk, and warning them to be home by curfew."

Professor Wraitheon chuckled.

"I'm certain there must be a story behind that," she said quietly. "In any case, I can tell being here is a bit uncomfortable for you. Though, at the same time, I'd love to hear how you managed to find us."

"The same way you guys get in and out," Dani replied, projecting a confidence she didn't quite feel at the moment. "I took the elevator."

Professor Wraitheon watched Dani closely for a moment, as though willing her to give more information. When Dani stood silently in front of her, refusing to budge, she conceded defeat.

"I'll have to look into that," the Professor said. "Your presence was a welcome–if unexpected–intrusion, but I can't have squatters, ghostly or otherwise, dropping by unannounced. Regardless, though, it's obvious to me that you're finding the accommodations unnerving at the moment."

Dani didn't answer, but her face gave it away.

"There's no shame it in, girl," Professor Wraitheon assured her. "You were just attacked, and a closely-guarded secret exposed unexpectedly. Run along, if you feel the need to."

To emphasize her point, Professor Wraitheon engaged the motor on her wheelchair and backed up, turning at a curve so that Dani could walk past unimpeded.

"Go ahead," Wraitheon said. "Unless you'd rather stay?"

Dani moved past the Professor without hesitating, keeping a close watch out in case any of the other ghost hunters were lurking in the wings. When she reached the archway leading into the main room from where the elevator opened up, though, Dani paused and turned back.

"Another time, maybe," she said before vanishing on the spot from Wraitheon's sight.

Professor Wraitheon pulled her chair back into the position it had rested in. The woman waited for a full two minutes, listening closely, before calling out.

"You can all come out now," she said loudly, sure now that the young ghost girl had fled. "I'm certain she's gone."

There was a light cough not far away, but nothing moved.

"I said, 'come out'," Wraitheon repeated, and in a tone that suggested she hated doing so. "I know you all are listening there."

One after the other, Alice, Randy, and Dexter marched out from their hiding place around the corner of an adjoining wall. Alice was in the lead, wearing a stony mask for a facial expression while Dexter and Randy followed up from behind, appearing more chastised.

"You let her get away?" Alice wondered. "Why?"

"Because she interests me," Wraitheon replied coolly. "I told you before that we didn't know everything there was to know concerning her, and that still applies."

"We could have caught her," Alice insisted, though she sounded far less than certain.

"I'm sure," Wraitheon said, in a tone that implied she was certain none of them would have. "But a battle on our home turf would risk damaging the equipment and might free the few captured specters we have so far."

"Eh, there is that," Dexter agreed, speaking up now that he was reasonably sure the Professor didn't intend to berate them. "So what do we do now?"

"Nothing," the Professor replied confidently. "She knows about us now, which means she'll be back very soon."

Randy looked surprised.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Positive," said Wraitheon with supreme confidence. "She managed to learn the location of this place, and she came here on her own. There's no way that Spectral Neutralizer could keep her powers shorted out for long."

Professor Wraitheon sounded very pleased with herself now.

"She could easily have attacked, but the girl didn't. She wants to know more, and when she tries to find out, one of you will tell her."

The next morning, Dani awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring. Reaching over, she shut the obnoxious device off by hitting the button much harder than necessary. Getting out of bed, she set to work on her latest project right away.

Dani had studied tailoring and sewing for several years. The Fentons had been terrified at first of anyone learning that she was half-ghost and her older brother's clone to boot. Thus, she'd spent a lot of time at FentonWorks while Danny and the others were at school. Sam's influence had sparked her interest in the goth movement, but she'd figured out soon enough that the all-black ensemble wasn't for her.

Therefore, she'd set about developing her own sense of style, and cultivated her own clothing to suit it. Her latest project was a pair of stylish ruby-red pants with black tiger stripes running diagonally across. Several belts and zippers were also involved. Dani had started the project a few weeks before the big move to Kingsport Falls, and she was approximately two-thirds of the way done.

An hour later, she felt satisfied enough to put the pants back up and take a break. Dani knew she would need more materials to finish them anyway, so calling it quits for now made sense. Sweeping her bangs from her face, she moved over to her computer and sat down. It had been a few days since she'd received a message from her family on the space platform, or sent one to them for that matter. Turning the monitor on, Dani brought up the recording program and made sure she was in frame of the camera.

"Hi, Mom and Dad," she said, once the webcam light flashed on and the program was running. "Hey, everybody. Sorry I haven't sent any new messages. Things have been kinda busy here. I hope things are still going well for you guys in space. Danny and Valerie? Happy anniversary!"

Dani hesitated for a moment, thinking about how to phrase the next part.

"There's something in particular I wanted to ask you guys, though," she went on cautiously. "Mom and Dad especially. Do any of you know a Professor Amelia Wraitheon? She's a ghost hunter here in Kingsport Falls... well, sort of. I think she may be involving a couple of students from my school, and I'm worried about them getting hurt. I'm not in trouble or anything, but if any of you know something about her, let me know. I tried doing a search on Google, but it turned up nothing useful. I guess she's kept a low profile this whole time."

Dani stopped, took a deep breath, then continued.

"I really am fine, though," she assured them. "Nothing bad has happened, ever since the library incident I told you about, anyway. I'm just curious, is all. Thanks!"

Ending the record and switching the camera off, Dani proceeded to save the file, then packaged it in the e-mail her family used. They would receive it once the transmission finished beaming into space. Having done that, Dani dressed and went downstairs for food.

To her surprise, Uncle Paul was standing in the kitchen over the stove wearing an apron and an absurdly-large purple chef's hat.

"Your aunt is downstairs helping with the tours," he explained before she could ask, "so I'm cooking an early lunch."

"Oh," was all Dani could think of.

"Got anything planned this evening?" Paul asked as he sprinkled salt over several tomato slices sauteing in the skillet. "We could use your help?"

"I wanted to go into town this afternoon and pick up a few supplies for a pair of pants I'm modifying," she answered, eyeing the lunch her uncle was cooking curiously. "After that, though, I'm free."

"That works out great, then," said Uncle Paul, turning so sharply toward her that his chef's hat slipped. "Wes said that he wanted one of us to go with him to Dunwich Alley."

Dani waited for an explanation that never came. This was because one of the sandwiches in the panini press next to the stove had begun smoking.

"What's Dunwich Alley?" Dani asked while her uncle scooped one of the slightly burned sandwiches out.

"Shopping center not far out from the main part of town," Uncle Paul explained once the sandwiches in the press were saved. "Long stretch of stores running for about a mile or so. S'got a big archway hanging overhead in case of rain."

"Sounds perfect," Dani said. "Do they have any clothing stores there, or the like?"

"They got everything," Uncle Paul affirmed confidently. "You can find whatever you're looking for there no problem. Your Aunt Caroline and I would take Wes ourselves, but she's swamped downstairs trying to get customers settled, and I'm trying to cook lunch."

"I'll take him," Dani complied agreeably. "There are worse ways to spend a Saturday than babysitting and hanging out in a spooky museum."

Uncle Paul laughed.

"Glad you think so," he said. "Wes mentioned he might be bringing a friend, but you shouldn't have trouble with either of them."

Dani was less enthused by the idea of having one of Wes's friends tagging along, but she'd already agreed to do it. If the worst scenario played out like it presently was in her mind, she could always overshadow one of them.

An hour later, Dani was exiting the bus with Wes and his best friend, Eugene, in tow. Having the two junior high school boys meant that Dani was forced to cough up the fare for all three of them instead of fly to Dunwich Alley. It also meant that she had to endure the looks Eugene kept shooting her way. Wes's friend had met them at the bus stop, and upon laying eyes on Dani, went rigid and developed a severe care of goggle eyes.

It was unnerving.

"The main entrance from this side of town is this way," Wes was telling her as they threaded through the crowded street. "You want to avoid the side entrances on the north end of the Alley. That's where they put the biometric scanners."

Dani wasn't sure she'd heard Wes right, but decided it didn't matter that much.

"What sort of stuff do you shop for?" Eugene asked her, his eyes still locked on to wherever Dani went. "Do you like computer games, or are you more into consoles? I like the old arcade that they have here too."

Eugene spoke every word using as little punctuation as possible. It had been like that since they'd gotten on the bus. Eugene would avoid speaking for as long as possible, filling in the gaps of conversation by shooting glances at Dani, then blurt out words at a mile a minute.

"I–" Dani, feeling generous, had been about to answer, but the sight of the Dunwich Alley entrance cut her off. "I take it this is the place?"

A giant plastic novelty octopus hung high over head the main entrance, waving its tendrils in a friendly way at the shoppers. The octopus was colored pink and had bright blue staring eyes that reminded Dani of the expression Eugene kept giving her. In her surprise, Dani realized that she'd stopped walking.

"This is it," Wes said, continuing on. "We'll meet you back here when we're done in about an hour or so. Come on, Eugene."

Eugene, meanwhile, had quit walking the moment Dani did.

"Shouldn't we, ah..." he stammered, "...um, stick together? You know, just in case, um..."

Before Eugene could continue, Wes marched back and seized him by the arm, dragging him away from Dani.

"Don't be a complete idiot," Dani heard Wes tell Eugene in the distance, which got her to laugh.

The inside of Dunwich Alley was dimly lit, but old-fashioned lamp posts hung brightly-lit globes out to help shoppers find their way. The street was cobblestone and littered with people moving back and forth in no discernible pattern. In addition to the stores lining each side and down the narrower alleys every few hundred feet or so, vendors shouted from the asphalt's edge at potential buyers.

It was amazing.

"I can't find anything like this in Amity Park," Dani said to herself, still wide-eyed. "Wait until Sam and the others hear about this!"

Dani strolled down the street for a bit, popping in and out of a few stores during her trek. Some of the places looked really interesting. Others stood out as being much more 'commercial'. Dani could practically hear Sam complaining in her head about the encroachment of corporate America on the common peddler.

Once she'd explored enough to satisfy some of her curiosity, Dani began looking in earnest for a fabric store. A map set in the middle of the street proved fortuitous. Using it, Dani was able to steer herself down a side alley to a place called Fabulous Fabrics farther inward.

The store was easy enough to find. The map had given very good instructions, marking a sportswear shop and an old-fashioned toy store as points surrounding her destination. A big, bright sign hung high overhead, displaying the name in ribbon-like font. Dani noticed this right away, but her eyes were drawn from it almost immediately. The display windows in front of the store surrounding the entrance were completely shattered. Furthermore, crisscrossing police tape hung in place of the missing glass panes, along with makeshift signs warning of the dangers of broken glass.

Dani entered the store anyway, finding herself more intrigued, rather than warned away. A young woman looking early-twenties in age was sitting alone behind the counter reading a magazine. There didn't appear to be anyone else around, employee or otherwise.

"Um, hi," she said, going up to the counter.

The girl was reading a fashion rag, and eyed Dani for a moment before putting it away. Dani got the distinct impression that the lady didn't appreciate the business she was getting.

"So, what can I get you?" the woman asked, staring across the counter at Dani with one fist tucked under her chin and the elbow resting against the polished wood.

"I just need some prints, a few zippers, and a couple of belt buckles," Dani replied, meeting the woman's gaze. "They're for a pair of pants I'm working on."

The woman gave a long sigh before raising up off the counter she'd been holding down. It looked like the effort took more energy than it should have. Dani watched the woman circle the counter, and followed her to the various points in the store where each item was located. The search took but a couple of minutes. Dani found it interesting that the woman knew the store so well, yet looked bored and uninterested in her job.

"What happened to the windows?" she asked, once back in front of the counter.

The woman paused while ringing up Dani's purchases to glance over to the display areas.

"No idea," she said. "Came in and they were all like that. Somebody told me the owner was in Intensive Care at the hospital, though."

"Oh?" Dani fished out her wallet and passed the allotted sum over in the form of two twenty-dollar bills. "Is he all right?"

"Dunno," said the woman while getting Dani her change. "Somebody broke in and tied him up, then moved a bunch of mannequins out in front of the store. That's the story I heard, anyway."

"Weird," Dani said, taking her change and pocketing it.

"Doesn't bother me," the woman replied, picking back up her fashion rag and deliberately ignoring Dani. "It's nice to have a slow day for once."

The woman hadn't even bothered to bag up Dani's purchases, leaving a half-opened bag on top of it instead. Taking the bag, she placed her items inside, then turned around.

"Thanks," Dani said snidely. "For absolutely nothing. At least I know holding a magazine up is a lot easier than putting stuff inside of a bag. Glad you didn't strain yourself."

Dani left without another word. The woman behind the counter watched her go, looking like Dani had just spit on the floor. Dani felt a smug sense of satisfaction over the fact.

Dani had much more success at the punk accessories store–Icy Affair. The sales lady at the counter greeted Dani with a smile as she rang up Dani's purchases, bagged them, and waved as Dani left.

"I love your outfit," the lady called out as Dani was leaving. "It's amazing!"

"Thanks," Dani called back, smiling at the compliment.

Now that she'd succeeded in her mission, there was little left for Dani to do besides wander around. It was doubtful that Wes and Eugene would be waiting for her at the main entrance when the hour was up, which gave her more time to explore. Unfortunately, Dani's mind began wandering over the last day's events now that it had nothing to distract itself with.

Dani had kept herself occupied up until now by doing homework, sleeping, working on her pants, and running around town. Without something specific to hold it back, the dark paranoia that had been quietly swelling inside her reached out and seized her with its icy grip. She had avoided mentioning the fact that her secret identity was compromised to her family. They would have worried, which would have made them want to come check on her, which would in turn have put the mission and themselves at risk.

Professor Wraitheon had said that she had nothing to fear. That wasn't the impression Dani had received so far, but experiences with her own family and others in the same field had left her thinking that ghost hunters possessed little in the way of restraint. It looked like her classmates possessed the same quality, or had inherited it very fast. Dani supposed she did have an advantage over them of sorts. She'd proven to herself and them that she was capable of sneaking inside the clock tower at her own discretion. It also seemed doubtful that she would fall for the same trick twice.

"I can handle myself," she said out loud, low enough that the people walking around her wouldn't think she was nuts. "Three inept ghost hunters and their handicapped sponsor are no match for me."

Dani repeated this thought in her head as she walked back the length of the side street toward the main alley. She just needed to take her mind off of her problems for a little while longer. It was the stress of not knowing that was getting to her. If the time came, if the Specter Detecters made it necessary, Dani knew she could handle herself.

Satisfied, Dani stopped and swept the area with her gaze, looking for something to occupy herself. She had just past the sportswear store. To her left was the toy shop she'd seen earlier. 'Giuseppe's Toy Chest', the sign up above read. Intrigued, Dani decided to take a peek inside.

"Welcome!"

The voice was jovial and inviting, but startled Dani all the same. It seemed to come from everywhere around her. Dani turned a full three-hundred and sixty degrees, searching. Her eyes fell on some amazing things, though she never saw where the speaker was hiding. There were old-style rocking horses, handcrafted dolls of all shapes and sizes, wooden puppets, and some ornately-carved figurines.

"This way," the voice rang out again, directing Dani.

Dani took a step forward and peered around each corner she came to. The store was small, much smaller than the others in the area. It was as though someone had crammed the space in-between two regular shops. The display tables and shelves were piled high with toys, some far enough that Dani couldn't see over them. It gave her the odd sensation that she was being observed. Just like before in the clothing store, however, the place appeared deserted save for herself and whoever was instructing her.

"Almost there!"

Dani rounded a corner near the back and had to choke back a squeak of fright when a man's head jutted out sharply from around a turn to the left.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, not sounding the slightest bit, yet also not meaning it maliciously. "Didn't mean to startle you. Welcome to Giuseppe's Toy Chest!"

The man stepped out from behind the turn and held both arms out dramatically as he spoke the last part. Dani took in the shop proprietor, her mind not quite connecting the man's voice with what she was seeing.

The man called Giuseppe–at least, Dani presumed–had an excitable voice like that of a stage announcer, yet he was impossibly old. His body was far too thin, as well, the type brought on by lack of nourishment. By all rights, his voice should have sounded raspy and weak, not overjoyed. On top of that, his clothes were barely holding together. It looked as though they'd been stitched up numerous times. A golden-brown colored wig sat perched atop his head. It looked like the piece might fall of at any moment given the way the old man moved.

There was one other thing Dani took notice of while the strange man was smiling down at her. His neck was in some type of brace. It looked like he should not have been able to move his head, much less jump around. The store proprietor seemed fine, however, and never stopped smiling.

"Giuseppe Polendina," the man introduced. "Owner and proprietor of Giuseppe's Toy Chest."

Giuseppe extended one leg out, then bowed low.

"And how might I be of service to you, young madam," he asked reverently.

"Um, oh..." Dani stammered. "I was just bored and... came in to have a look around. Sorry if I was interrupting..."

"Not at all," Giuseppe interjected, cutting Dani off. "Look to your heart's content, my child. And if you should need help with anything, please never hesitate to ask. I am but your humble servant, after all."

Giuseppe had raised back up after interrupting Dani, and made elaborate gestures at the toys on the shelves surrounding them the whole time. In spite of herself, Dani realized she was amused by the elderly man's antics. He was like a character from some old film. Granted, he came across as a bit forward, and maybe a little unnerving, but people said the same things about her a lot of the time.

"You have some amazing toys in here," Dani said, glancing around. "I've never seen a place like this before."

"Ah, that's because all of these toys are handcrafted," Giuseppe explained, plucking a doll off the shelf and holding it out for Dani to take. "My father was an old-school toymaker. And his father before him. It's something of a family tradition, you see."

"That's so cool," Dani said sincerely, eyeing the red-haired doll with black button eyes as she carefully turned it over in her hands.

"Well, I'm pleased as punch that you think so," Giuseppe said. "I tell you what. Why don't you take that little doll home with you? Free of charge!"

Dani blinked and looked sharply up at the old man.

"What?"

"Go right ahead," Giuseppe said, still grinning as though it were the best idea in the world. "It'll be a great way for people to find out about the shop. If somebody asks you about it, just tell them where they can get something like it. All you need to promise me is that you'll give her a good home."

Dani smiled at the thought.

"That won't be hard," she replied, gently tucking the doll up underneath one arm. "I'm staying with my aunt and uncle right now, but they're good people."

"Excellent," Giuseppe said, his grin turning into a kindly smile. "Why don't you let me take that up to the front for you so I can bag her up? Nice and tight!"

Dani relinquished the doll back to Giuseppe and followed him to the front where she presumed the register was. She had half a mind to pay for the doll despite Giuseppe's insistence, but wasn't sure she could afford it. The toys in the shop looked expensive.

"All of these toys are like children to me," Giuseppe said, as if catching on to her thoughts. "I've spent many a lonely night putting them together, making sure each joint and button fits just right."

"It shows," Dani admitted, admiring his work on the way back.

With Giuseppe leading her, Dani found the way back to the entrance without a problem. The register was just off to the right of the entrance going in. With practiced ease, Giuseppe folded the doll up into brown paper, then tucked it inside a brown paper bag. There was no logo on the bag itself, which struck Dani as odd. The thought was chased away when Giuseppe handed the bag over to her with one of his big smiles.

"There you go, child," he said warmly. "Be sure you hurry home soon. This place gets kinda spooky as the day wears on."

"I will," Dani assured him. "I have to help my aunt and uncle with their business when I get home. Thanks for the doll!"

"You're welcome, child," Giuseppe called out after Dani as she exited the shop.

Giuseppe was an odd character to be sure. Dani still wasn't certain whether she found the old man charming or unsettling. He was almost like someone from another time. Lost in her thoughts, Dani walked right into someone without realizing they were even heading her way.

"Ow!"

"Oof! Watch it!"

Dani blinked and looked up. Randy was rubbing his forehead in pain. Both of them stared across the small gap of space separating them, eyes widening as realization dawned on their faces. Randy's face went from shocked, to apologetic, to uncomfortable in seconds. Dani wasn't sure what facial expression she was making at the moment, but it felt like righteous indignation was somewhere in the mix.

"Sorry," was what came out of her mouth instead.

"My bad," Randy said, speaking before Dani had finished. "I–"

Randy trailed off. Dani realized that she'd dropped all three of her bags at some point during the confusion. Randy noticed this when she crouched down to pick them back up, and moved to do the same thing.

"Sorry," he said this time, grabbing hold of the bag after Dani had already picked it up off the floor, and releasing it immediately.

"Sorry," he said again.

Dani didn't know what else to say, so she fell back on the truth. It was always best to be honest, she felt like.

"This is really awkward."

The words had already formed and left her mouth before the notion occurred to her that Randy might take this the wrong way. Instead, to her surprise, he laughed.

"Truth," he agreed. "Wasn't expecting to run int– to see you here. You alone?"

"Why?" Dani asked, suddenly very guarded. "Are you armed?"

Randy flinched that time.

"Sorry," he said before Dani could apologize herself. "Guess I had some 'ah that cummin'."

"Maybe," she mused quietly.

The awkward silence that followed was unbearable. Dani wished fervently for something to happen, even a random ghost attack. No such thing occurred, though, which contributed to her long-held theory that ghost attacks only happened to interrupt something good.

"Wanna grab a quick bite to eat?" Randy blurted out unexpectedly.

The offer came as such a surprise that it took Dani a moment to respond.

"Are you asking me out?" Dani watched Randy closely, but he barely flinched. "Seriously. You and your friends have fired on me multiple times now. Why the sudden change in tune?"

"You did good in the library," he said, shrugging sheepishly. "Both times. I figure buyin' you lunch is a good 'nuff way to say 'thanks'."

And so, much to Dani's own bewilderment, she found herself walking down the length of Dunwich Alley with Randy the ghost hunter by her side. Randy helped lead the way, pointing them back the way Dani had come down the same alley where Fabulous Fabrics was. At the very end of the narrower corridor, a luncheon of some kind sat on the right next to the entrance.

"Diablo Nacho?" she read aloud.

"Food's pretty good," Randy assured her. "Cheap too, if you got tightwad parents."

The outside of Diablo Nacho was done up like it was part of a commercial chain. Dani turned to Randy for a moment, then nodded her consent.

"Lead the way, then," she instructed.

Randy helped Dani order, advising her to steer clear of the Beefy Beanie Burrito. She got a Tex-Mex Meltdown for herself, while Randy went with what he said was his usual, a Spicy Quesa-Dios. Dani moved to pay for her order, but Randy beat her to it, telling the cashier to ring both up as one, then paying for them.

"You didn't have to do that," Dani told him as they wound through the crowd toward a table next to a statue of a devil figure painted as a rodeo clown. "I've got some money."

"I said it'd be my treat," he reminded, sitting across the four-seat table from her.

"Next time, then, I guess," she complied, before taking a sip of soda from her cup.

The awkwardness returned, this time in full force. Dani waited for Randy to say something again. Going by the look on Randy's face, however, he was expecting Dani to fill the void this time.

"So," Dani began, wracking her brain for a subject. "You... like being a... ghost hunter?"

Randy went stiff. He'd been in the middle of taking a long pull of soda through the straw of his cup. At Dani's question, he set the cup down next to his tray, then picked up his quesadilla. Dani watched, waiting anxiously, while Randy took a big bite out of the thin, unevenly packed processed food substance.

"I guess," Randy said, after chewing and swallowing. "Seemed like it'd be sumthin' t' do. Kingsport Falls gets pretty damn dull sometimes."

Dani had expected more, but that appeared to be it.

"That's it?" she asked, not believing it. "You hunt ghosts because you're bored?"

"And cuz m' friends do it," Randy added. "Figured they might need me t' watch their backs."

"Oh," Dani said, caught a little off guard.

"And you?" Randy asked, turning the conversation around. "You're really a ghost?"

Dani should have seen that coming.

"Sorta," she said nervously. "It's actually... a really long story."

Randy picked up his cup again and shot Dani a coy wink before taking another pull of soda from it.

"I got time," he assured her, putting the cup back down.

The duo strutted down the length of Dunwich Alley together in unison. Their youthful bodies moved slowly, as if profiling for cameras that weren't actually there. Women passing by noticed them for all of two seconds before moving on to more important things. Young males of their age group–and a few who were much older–stopped to gawk while their peers gave them looks of pure loathing and envy.

Pamela Wells and Heather Chandler noticed each pair of eyes giving them the once over. Neither was about to give away the fact that they were paying anyone any attention. That would have been beneath them. It was important that they knew that others noticed them, though. That was one of the core points to being in the Fashion Club.

"So Nadine dumps Chuck over some stupid fight," Heather said to Pamela once both were certain that they'd made a good enough entrance. "Now he's back to being on the third rung. I really wish she'd warn me ahead of time about this. I have to redo all of my popularity polls!"

"She's really inconsiderate," Pamela said, meaning it. "And it's not as though Brandon is her type anyway. I hear that's who she's throwing herself at now."

"Brandon's dating Michelle," Heather said derisively, adding a disdainful snort to the end of this revelation. "And he's not likely to dump her anytime soon to go out with Nadine. Remember that rumor we heard about Michelle, right? I'm sure it was true."

"Of course," Pamela agreed.

They were almost halfway down Dunwich Alley before Heather turned to Pamela, curiosity mixed with a touch of confusion all over her face.

"Why are we here again?" she asked Pamela. "I thought we were going to the Omniplex."

"I have to get Seth a present," Pamela replied, though she sounded a little less than enthused by the prospect. "It's our three-month anniversary, and if I don't get him a gift, he may start thinking that I'm supposed to be putting out for him already."

"Oh, right," Heather said, understanding. "Gross. So what will you get him?"

"It's Seth," Pamela said pointedly. "So long as it's sports-related, he'll be happy."

Pamela steered Heather to the sportswear store not far from Diablo Nacho. The moment they entered, Heather made a face and covered her nose.

"I hate coming into these places," she groaned. "They smell like locker rooms, only not quite as bad. But still bad enough."

Pamela said nothing. She had automatically gone into discount mode the moment they'd crossed the threshold together. Her eyes began sweeping the place for the most discount-rated item she could pass off onto Seth. The last thing Pamela wanted was for Seth to start hassling her before the four-month waiting period was up.

It was a time-honored tradition of Arkham High alumni, going back three years at least. The women of Arkham were honor-bound to hold off from having sex with a guy following the first date for a period of at least four months. Anything before that would result in automatic slut shaming. Pamela had entered Arkham riding the coattails of her older siblings' popularity, but she couldn't let herself fall back. There were plenty of girls at school who'd love to see her take a fall. It would open her familial-appointed position up for one of them to grab.

"What do you think of these?" she asked Heather, holding up a pair of discount-priced cleats.

"Mm." Heather considered the spiked shoes for a moment. "Maybe. Seth seems like the type of guy who comes in here a lot, though. If he knows they've been marked down, you'll be out shopping for a much more extravagant gift to make up for it."

"That, or I'll have to let him slide to third base," Pamela said, while silently agreeing that Heather's logic made sense.

Heather followed after Pamela obediently while the Wells girl continued her search for an object of affection that would appease her boyfriend somewhat. After fifteen minutes, it looked as though her quest was in vain.

"Maybe I should get him something on BluRay instead," Pamela said. "They have movies about sports, right?"

Heather's nose crinkled as she gave the question her deepest contemplative abilities.

"I think so," was the response her brain came up with.

Pamela groaned and kept looking. The beginnings of a headache were creeping up on her from the edges of her temples when some inconsiderate jerk bumped into her.

"Ow! Watch it!" she snapped, but then hesitated.

The person who'd bumped her was dressed up like a football player. That wasn't too surprising. At the very least, it was something Pamela herself could rationalize as not being out of the ordinary. The stranger had got her in the ribs with his elbow. The elbow had felt solid, more solid than a human being's would. Confused, Pamela stared as the figure turned around.

A blank face sans any eyes seemed to nevertheless look out at her from behind a helmet. In the spot where there ought to have been a mouth, Pamela heard a low, guttural noise rise up from somewhere within. The store mannequin–Pamela realized–began to move, its arms and legs jerking horribly, like some kind of marionette.

She'd always been afraid of puppet shows as a kid. Now her worst nightmare was twitching its way toward her. From out the corner of her eye, Pamela spotted a number of other store mannequins–each one clothed in various sporting attire–coming to life and began attacking customers. People around her and Heather screamed and fled the room.

Given the circumstances, there was only one course of action for her.

Pamela shoved Heather back toward the enclosing man-sized, football player puppet as she ran past, tripping Heather's feet for good measure. Heather cursed in surprise, then let out a squeal of protest and outrage as she found herself sprawling face-forward at the linebacker mannequin's feet.

Pamela, meanwhile, was working her way toward the door. Unfortunately, the other mannequins had already managed to chase off most of the customers. Only a few stragglers were left, and they were nearing the exit. The mannequins seemed to realize this, and turned their attention as one on her.

"I should've just gotten Seth the DVD," Pamela moaned as the artificial sports figures surrounded her.

"...so after doin' some readings all over town, the Profs figured out whatevers goin' on in space has sumthin' t' do with all the spooks getting riled up."

Randy had been explaining the situation with Professor Wraitheon to Danielle for the past several minutes. Dani had listened to the whole thing, giving the boy her full attention. If nothing else, she found the story interesting. Plus, it would be good to learn everything she could about Wraitheon, since the woman had kept such an amazingly low profile.

"Wait, is 'spooks' offense for you?" Randy asked, looking chagrined all of a sudden. "Did I jus' say somethin' real racist?"

"You did," Dani answered, enjoying the opportunity to give him a hard time, "but go on."

"That's 'bout it," Randy said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "The Profs found us, asked us to be her ghost hunting crew, and we spent the summer chasing spoo– chasing ghosts down."

"Her very own set of teenagers with attitude," Dani mused humorously.

"S'what 'bout you?" Randy asked, watching Dani closely. "Ah's given you my side of the story. Care to share?"

"Mine's a... really long story," Dani said evasively. "Basically, I'm half-ghost. That's why I look human. It's because I am."

It didn't look like Randy was expecting that. Dani was trying to gauge his expression, but he wasn't giving a whole lot away for once. Randy's eyes narrowed for a moment, and then he nodded.

"I guess that makes sense," he said. "Don't 'splain much 'bout how you got that way, but I'm guessin' that's the 'long' part of th' story."

"It is," Dani affirmed. "I... probably shouldn't be telling you this, but since you were so upfront about yourself, it wouldn't seem very fair. See–"

Dani was almost relieved when a wisp of cold breath escaped from her mouth. Her words got cut off as the fog drifted up toward the ceiling. Randy watched the whole time, looking confused.

"It ain't that cold in here," he stated.

"It's my ghost sense," Dani explained. "That happens whenever there's another ghost somewhere nearby. Wonder why's it going off here, though. I don't see anything..."

Reflexively, Dani rubbed the chills spreading up her arms. She always felt cold whenever her ghost sense went off. It was something she shared with her brother.

"Think it could be cuz of that?" Randy asked, pointing to his right.

Dani followed his pointing finger and saw the cloven-hoofed rodeo clown devil jerking its arms as it struggled to break free from the display stand it had been mounted to. The thing's eyes glowed red while its head twisted back and forth at odd angles, as if considering the two of them.

"That's new," Randy said, getting to his feet along with Dani. "Don' remember this place havin' sumthin' like that before."

Dani stared directly at the rodeo clown devil. As if to help clarify, her ghost sense was triggered again. The other patrons, meanwhile, were beginning to notice that something was amiss. It helped when the devil figure tore itself free and smashed a fist straight through the table they'd been sitting at, scattering their used napkins and trays.

"I guess this means we won't be leaving a tip," Dani said.

"Mr. Diablo is havin' hisself a real bad day," Randy said, pulling his cell phone out as he moved closer to Dani. "'Least, he's gonna. Think it'll chase us if we run?"

Dani considered the odds of this. The other customers were already shocked and looking very nervous. Judging by the wicked gleam in Mr. Diablo's eyes, some of them were sure to get hurt if a fight broke out. There was also a strong possibility that a riot could break out. With all that in mind, Dani did what she felt was the best possible choice.

"Look, everybody!" she called out, pointing up at the Special's menu. "Free Nacho Day!"

In unison, the entirety of the fast food joint turned to look first at Dani, then up to the overhead menu where she was pointing. Dani waited as long as possible, giving any stragglers who might not be wild about nachos time to stare. Then, with one hand, she blasted the Mr. Diablo statue out through the main entrance.

"Now we don't need for it to chase us," she told Randy, going for the door.

"Works for me," Randy replied. "Just wish there was a place for me to change."

"One problem at a time!" Dani stopped short as she reached the outside area beyond Diablo Nacho. "Or, maybe several problems at a time."

People were running for their lives. Mannequins from the sportswear store nearby were going on a rampage, terrorizing shoppers left and right. A blond girl Dani thought she recognized from school was fleeing the scene, screaming while a mannequin's arm–the mannequin itself no longer attached to it–gripped her flowing, golden locks.

"Dexter's gonna be sorry he missed this," said Randy, watching the girl go.

"This way," Dani said, spotting a corner further back and out of the line of sight of anyone else. "We need to make a quick change."

Randy followed obediently. Once the two of them were out of sight and safely tucked away within the shadows, she turned to him.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Dani asked him. "This is the big leagues."

Randy showed Dani his cell phone.

"I'm all set," he reassured her. "Let's Specterize!"

Dani watched, frowning, as Randy punched in a command code on the cell phone's screen. Rings of light spread out from his waist, surrounding him and forming a bubble around his body. When the rings had made a full circumference in opposite directions, they vanished into a newly-materialized belt. Randy slapped the cell phone into his belt buckle, then gave Dani a smile from behind his helmet, along with a thumbs-up.

"'Specterize'?" she wondered.

"It requires a voice command as well as a code," he explained. "You cummin' or not?"

"Sure thing," Dani said, holding both arms up. "I'm Going Ghost!"

Randy snorted in response.

"Seriously?" he asked. "'Going Ghost' is 'sposed to be an improvement?"

"Hush," she ordered, changing herself from Dani Kraven to Dani Phantom in a flash. "Let's go!"

Dani Phantom grabbed Randy by the armored arm and took to the air, flying the both of them back to the scene of the mannequin attack. When they landed, it took Randy a moment to recover his footing.

"Never flew before," he muttered, gulping behind his helmet. "Must be nice, getting to fly."

"Talk later," Dani ordered. "Attack now!"

Dani began firing her ecto-ray blasts at the jerking, attacking mannequins. Randy followed suit, whipping out his ecto-pistols. The mannequins were coming at them from out of many different stores now. Randy spotted Mr. Diablo among the attacking horde. The devil statue was going after a mother trying to shield her crying baby in its stroller.

"Sorry, Mr. Diablo," he said coolly, taking aim. "But you just ain't yourself."

Randy fired, leaving the devil statue without a head, but the statue kept moving. Randy fired again and again, taking off both arms. The figure began to sway, as if having trouble maintaining its balance but held up at the same time by some unseen force.

"Come on," Randy griped. "Jus' go down already!"

Four more shots later, and Mr. Diablo was in pieces. The mother looked stunned for a moment, but then nodded her thanks to Randy before gathering her child up.

"No problem," Randy replied as the mother fled. "Now get outta here."

"We're done here," Dani told him, finishing off the last of the mannequin attackers with her ecto-ray. "Come on. We need to help get these people to safety before someone gets hurt."

Dani took off to the air, flying above the crowd and using her aerial advantage to guide the panicked mob to safety.

"Right," said Randy, lowering his guns. "Guess I'll be takin' the ground path, then."

Several minutes later, Randy was helping the last of the frantic shoppers out of the Alley. Friends and family spotted loved ones and raced up to embrace them. Dani floated down from somewhere inside Dunwich Alley with two small children in her arms. The minute she landed, both broke free and raced over to a man that Randy presumed was their father.

"Nice work," he noted.

Dani smiled.

"Feels good being a hero, doesn't it?"

Randy smiled behind his helmet. After a moment of soul-searching, he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," he said. "Ah'm pretty sure it does."

"Help! Get these things off me!"

Dani and Randy both turned, spotting Pamela Wells staggering out of the mouth of the alley. Numerous mannequin arms, all of them lost from their owners, were clinging to her body. Pamela had a shell-shocked look on her face and was tugging at the arms desperately.

"This ain't gonna feel quite as good," Randy said. "Don' worry, tho. I got it."

Dani started to protest when Randy raised his ecto-pistols and fired. Each shot blasted away one of the arms. Pamela was eventually left free of her plastic admirers, sobbing on her knees. A very attractive man who looked to be a few years older than her came forward, instantly cheering her up.

"It was so horrible," she gushed as the man helped her to her feet. "Just awful, really."

"Impressive," Dani told Randy while Pamela was escorted away. "When'd you get so good with those? Last I remember, you took out a bunch of hanging lights in the library."

"But I hit all of 'em," Randy pointed out, giving his pistols a practiced twirl before holstering them. "Ah's not at my best that day. Plus, when the library was shut down for a week, the Profs sent me to target practice the whole time."

"It's working," she noted.

From behind his helmet, Randy felt his face burn a bright red. He would have followed up on Dani's statement with something cool. It would have been amazing, even epic. Unfortunately, Dani's ghost sense went off. The wisp of breath passed between her lips, drifting upward.

"What now?" Dani wondered.

The answer came in the form of several pink tendrils reached down from high over head. People were screaming and moving back out of the way. Those that weren't so lucky got swatted back by one of the pink tentacles. Dani and Randy looked up together, staring in shock as the Dunwich Alley mascot moved of its own volition.

"Can't be," Randy whispered.

"I think it just did," she said. "Wait here."

"Like hell," Randy retorted, latching on to Dani before she could take off. "We goin' together."

Dani didn't feel there was enough time for a proper argument, so she lifted off from the ground without a word. Randy gulped and felt his stomach drop. He managed to keep his eyes open the whole time, but barely. The giant fiberglass octopus was, in theory at least, the bigger threat.

"Can you get inside?" Dani asked, swooping out of reach of one of the tendrils as it made a grab for her and Randy.

Randy felt the world tilt and his stomach churn.

"What?" he mumbled, feeling ill.

"I can distract it while you climb inside," she explained, yelling louder. "It's not real, just like the mannequins. Nothing was overshadowing them, but something brought them to life. If you get inside, you'll be able to blow it apart, or at least drive out whatever is doing this."

Getting inside it meant letting the giant fake octopus swallow him whole. Randy didn't enjoy the thought much, but that also meant he would be on stable ground and not flying wildly through the air.

"Sure thing," he managed to get out.

"Great," Dani said. "Here we go!"

Dani did a swan dive down toward the octopus, weaving in and out between the beast's tentacles. When one came too close, she cut a corkscrew roll out of the way, causing Randy to scream involuntarily. Randy blinked, and realized they had somehow reached the monster's mouth.

"Down you go," Dani said, giving him a toss.

Randy howled as his body was launched toward the great maw of suction lips that served as the creature's mouth. Dani's aim was spot on, and he rolled into it without a problem. Randy shut his eyes and tucked himself into a ball. The armor gave him enough protection that, when he finally stopped, his body didn't feel like it had more damage than maybe a couple of bruises.

"Could be worse," Randy mumbled, getting to his feet. "Had worse damage after Lacrosse tryouts. Little warning next time would be nice, though."

The inside of the fake octopus monster was dark. Randy couldn't see his hand in front of his helmet.

"Night vision mode on," he commanded, which caused the screen on his helmet to light up brightly. "Good one. Now, s'time for some major invasive surgery."

Randy pulled his ecto-pistols from their holsters and began firing upward wildly. He had no idea what could be animating the monster, much less where it would be hiding. In any case, however, Randy reasoned that he would hit something eventually, and the odds would be good that whatever he hit was important.

Sure enough, a moment later, Randy came across a glowing red light. The light was coming off of a single red thread. Randy studied the thread for a moment, the spectral readings on his helmet making little sense to him.

"Where's Dexter when I need him?" Randy wondered.

Taking aim, Randy fired a single blast at the thread. He hadn't expected his plan to work, or at least, for it to not work as well as it did. Randy's blast completely severed the thread, however. The broken pieces seemed to dissolve almost instantly. The moment they were gone, the octopus went rigid and ceased moving.

"Kinda anti-climactic," he noted. "Still, beggars can't be choosers."

Dani, meanwhile, had been firing her ecto-ray from both hands while dodging through the sky out of the octopus's reach. When it froze, she hesitated in mid air. A moment later, something blasted a hole in the side of the octopus. From out of it came Randy, who waved to Dani upon seeing her.

"Next time," he said, breathing hard, "you're gonna go into th' monster."

Dani floated down toward the exit hole that Randy had blown for himself. As she did, her smug, happy expression dissolved into one of contrition, a face full of epic fail.

"Fail whale," Dani groaned, smacking herself on the forehead.

"What?" Randy asked, worried suddenly.

"I forgot," said Dani, feeling very foolish. "I could've just gone intangible."

The rest of the afternoon was spent with paramedics looking people over and tending to the injured. Police took statements from everyone, asked that others collaborate what was said, and finally gave up and waved the whole thing off as some kind of publicity stunt when no one contradicted the events.

Dani found Eugene and Wes in the crowd. Once she was sure they were okay, she phoned Aunt Caroline and Uncle Paul, giving them the news and assuring them that both boys were fine.

"It's almost like having your father back home," Aunt Caroline said, and to Dani, it sounded like the woman was happy. "He'll be so sad that he missed this. You'll have to tell him all about it when you video mail him."

Dani intended to do just that. She had a lot of questions for her mother and father. The mannequins and the giant octopus weren't possessed by anything. It was like something had been controlling their movements. And yet, it had triggered her ghost sense.

Regardless, with the crisis over, Dani said goodbye to Randy before climbing on board the bus. Eugene and Wes had gotten on already, and were watching from one of the window seats. Wes was making kiss-y faces, but Eugene glared at Randy the whole time like he was trying to make the teen's head explode.

Dani never noticed, just like she never noticed how Giuseppe's Toy Chest was the only store in that part of Dunwich Alley to not be vandalized, or have anything come to life inside of it. Giuseppe had realized this, though, and made sure to tip over a few shelves here and there so that the store looked less tidy.

He hated doing it, and apologized to his children profusely, but it had to be done. The police did in fact question him later once all of the shoppers went home. None of them seemed any more suspicious of him than they did about the whole situation.

Once they were gone, Giuseppe closed his shop down for the day, then went to the back room. A flatscreen monitor and hardrive rested in one corner. Giuseppe brought up the emergency video chat line, then peeled off the neck brace. Once free of it, his body began to shift. The elderly man went translucent. His eyes glowed a bright green color, and his hair stood out wildly.

The line finally connected on the computer, meanwhile, and a shadowy figure appeared on the monitor wearing a tall hat and carrying a silver cane.

"Giuseppe the Puppeteer," the figure on the screen said. "I hear you had a bit of bother today."

"There was some unexpected interference," said Giuseppe as he rubbed his hands together anxiously. "I swear to you, sir. It was not my fault."

"Quiet." The figure on the screen barely raised his voice, yet Giuseppe fell silent at once. "These things happen, my dear puppeteer. It just means we have some new players in the game. That's all."

"I see," said Giuseppe, looking very relieved. "Thank you very much, sir."

"No need to thank me," said the figure, and it sounded like he was grinning. "I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next."

The figure paused and stroked the small, blood-red ball clutched in the mouth of the silver raven perched atop his cane.

"See you when you make your next report," said the figure, before cutting the call.

Giuseppe floated in the air for a moment after the call ended. Eyeing the neck brace, which contained a circular collar with wiring all over the place, he sighed. Once the brace was secure on his neck again and he'd returned to a solid state, Giuseppe reached over to a spot on the desk. Near the monitor was a photograph in a hand-carved wooden frame. Giuseppe lifted it up to stare at the image sadly.

"My poor boy," he said softly, crying. "Where are you?"


	4. S1E4 -- That Ol' Gang of Mine

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

Episode 4 – That Ol' Gang of Mine

" _We'll be having ourselves a grand ole time!"_

Episode Guide: Forced into volunteer work together, Alice and Dani must learn to get along better as they fight to uncover the secret behind a haunting inside the local retirement home.

The nurse at the station saw the alert light first. No one else was available at the time. Her job was essentially to maintain vigilance over the monitoring equipment in case something happened. Like in this case: one of the elderlies had gone into cardiac arrest.

The nurse–no one could ever remember her name, not even the residents–pushed the button to summon the doctor. The resident in question requiring help was two whole hallways down and several turns.

The Happy Home Retirement Community was built like a labyrinth. On some of her more maudlin days, the nurse thought this might have been done to keep the residents from escaping. The walls were stone brick and painted the same ugly yellow color as the floor and ceiling, only maybe a shade darker to contrast. It was easy to get confused or turned around, even for the lucid.

"It's–" she managed to get out, sliding to a stop on the slick linoleum floor.

The nurse's words were cut off as she looked down the corner into the side hallway. The resident in need of aid was located on the second room on the left. Already, it looked as though a crowd had gathered. The nurse thought briefly that the orderlies in their while uniforms looked like vultures, before shaking the morbid musing away.

"How'd everyone know?" she wondered, walking up to the crowd looking into Room 402. "I was at the alert station."

"Ol' fella didn't go quiet," one of the young male orderlies said, smirking. "Guess you couldn't hear it from all the way up there."

The nurse peeked past the others at the room inside.

"I suppose not," she replied.

Inside the room, a lone arm hung low out of the hospital bed toward the floor. The hand was semi-clenched, as though it had been grasping at something until just recently. The rest of the body was covered by a bedsheet. It looked as though someone had already been in the room.

"Any next-of-kin?" someone in the crowd asked. "I never found out..."

"None," said the young male orderly, answering. "Not that I know of, at least. He was a mean ol' cuss and a foul mouth to boot. I can't say my heart bleeds... much."

The nurse frowned, but then slowly turned back toward the still figure in the hospital bed. Tilting to the left, she tried taking a better look at the deceased's face underneath the spread. Her mind was having a hard time drawing a complete picture of what the man had looked like. Try as she might, the man's features blended in with so many others that had already gone.

"I guess we all go this way," she said quietly, "sooner or later."

Unbeknownst to the nurse, the spirit of the deceased man had already departed, floating up through the ceiling as an ethereal skeletal figure to one of the higher floors. Happy Home Retirement Community was built onto the Kingsport Falls Community Hospital. On the top floor, in a lounge room that was currently unoccupied by any of the living, the spirit dressed in an old pin-striped gray suit with massive shoulder pads settled into a chair and relaxed.

"Now dat," he let out to his fellows, who were all equally as skeletal and dressed in the same manner, seated around the circular table with him, "was a bit more trouble t'an it was worth."

"S'always more disappointin' than whacha expect," said the elderly ghost to his right, playing idly with one of his knives. "Nuthin' new dere."

"Whacha both mean by dat?" the old specter on the left wondered, looking put out by their words. "Mine was perfect! Went off like a shot, it did. No complains from me or anybody else that was involved."

"Ah, shut yer hole!"

The wizened figure across the table from the newest arrival scowled and reflexively brushed a skeletal thumb over the butt of the machine gun leaning against his chair. "Now that we got ourselves a full table at long last, we can begin."

"Sounds good," said the spirit on the right. "Er, who has the deck?"

The figure on the left raised his hand, which held a deck of playing cards.

"Gin?" he asked.

"Don' mind iffin I do!" the newest arrival said happily, striking a spectral match and lighting a cigarette with it.

"He means the cards, doofus," the spirit on his right snapped irritably, giving the knife in his bony hand a practiced twirl. "Jus' deal, Marlowe. We can worry 'bout the details somma other time. S'not like we got anyplace to be now."

"Too true," the spirit called Marlowe said as he began to deal. "Nuthin' but free time and games of cards."

"Nuthin' to bother us," one of the other spirits pipped up, looking rapturous at the thought. "No nosy nurses. No screamin' kids. Nuthin."

"Here's to nuthin'!"

"Nuthin'!"

"Nuthin' but peace and serenity forever," finished the spirit who had entered, smiling. "And now, there's nobody out der who can tell us what we's supposed to do."

"Get down!"

Alice's cry rang throughout the school gym, but came too late for Dexter and Randy, who were both hit by the electrical jolt. The shock knocked each of them back into the rack of basketballs that someone had left out. The balls rolled off the falling rack and bounced in every direction, while Randy and Dexter collapsed onto the freshly waxed floor.

The cackling pink cloud that had dealt the blow, meanwhile, spun in a circle through the air twice before stopping to gloat.

"Foolish adolescent mortals!" Brainstorm crowed. "Can you not glean that the almighty power of Brainstorm grows with each passing day. Soon, those who dealt me such disgraceful humiliation through the years of my mortal coil shall meet a most unfortunate fate when–"

Alice managed to silence Brainstorm's ramblings by firing a shot at it from her wrist blaster.

"Ow! That really smarts," Brainstorm whined, though he seemed to recover fast. "I mean, er... You dare raise a hand against the almighty–"

"Would you two lazy dumbasses get up already and help?" Alice barked back behind her at where Randy and Dexter had fallen in a lump.

"Sorry," Randy groaned. "Those shocks a' his really sting."

"I think I need a band aid," Dexter moaned, getting up first so he could lend Randy a hand.

"Take an aspirin when this is done," Alice growled. "Now pay attention. We use Defense Plan Beta-2 to take this thing down for good. Understand?"

"Not a clue," answered Dexter at once.

"Sorry," Randy said again. "Which one is that?"

Alice felt her face go red with fury behind her helmet.

"Are you two idiots ever going to read the strategy manual?" she roared, spinning around. "I swear, sometimes it feels as though I'm the only one who–"

Alice was cut off by a shot from the tentacled floating brain cloud that was Brainstorm. The electrical shock knocked the wind out of her and caused her to stagger backward. Alice felt her foot fall onto one of the scattered basketballs, which had rolled near her. Her feet slid right out from under her, sending her falling to the floor in a crumpled pile. Dizzy and disoriented, Alice nevertheless heard her spectral bo staff clatter and roll out of reach.

"You dropped your bo," Dexter said. "Don't worry. I'll get it."

"No," Alice muttered, giving her head–and helmet by extension–a shake. "Get the–"

Alice froze in mid-sentence as something on her helmet flashed. The spectral reader indicated that a massive amount of ghost energy was manifesting inside the gym.

"Great," Alice muttered, flipping up off the floor onto her feet. "Like we don't have enough problems already. Steel yourselves, boys. Something big is–"

"Dani!"

"What?" Alice wondered, looking over at Randy, who was pointing up toward the rafters.

"Where?" Dexter wondered, pausing in the middle of collecting Alice's staff up off the floor to look up. "Oh, I guess up there, then."

From high in the air near the ceiling, Dani Phantom faded into view. Her ghostly form floated down to the shiny floor, landing a few feet away from Alice and the others.

"Boy, you guys sure know how to throw a party," she said, smirking. "I was just out for an evening fly over town and I heard the fight going on. It's a wonder school security isn't swarming the place."

"They're playing poker in the teacher's lounge," Dexter explained, glad that the helmet concealed the blush on his face.

"Nobody'll be cummin' this way for hours," Randy added, blushing only slightly less than Dexter.

"Anyway, we have the situation well in hand now," Alice said, snatching her bo staff out of Dexter's hand. "No need for you to intrude. Just run along and we'll deal with this problem."

"She could help," Randy offered. "She fought off them haunted mannequins in the–"

Randy's voice trailed off as Alice turned to glare at him. Even with two helmets between them, he could feel himself wilting underneath Alice's gaze.

"I wasn't trying to intrude," Dani spoke up, getting Alice's attention. "I just heard the fight and wanted to make sure people weren't being hurt."

"No one hurt here," Dexter lied, hoping the pose he struck looked dashing.

"Nuthin' but Dexter's pride, 'least," Randy said, chuckling.

"Quiet, you two!" Alice hissed, before turning back to Dani. "Look, I don't know how things were done before back when you lived in Surfer Country, but this is our turf. We do things our way and always bring in the ghost."

"Right," Dani said, staring back at Alice blank-faced. "You know I've seen your work, right?"

Brainstorm, meanwhile, had been hovering over the group for several minutes, growing more contrite by the second.

"Hello!" he called out angrily when none one noticed the triple loop he performed. "Am I even in the room anymore?"

Dani glanced up, then blinked.

"Hey, I recognize that guy," she said, smiling as she pointed up at Brainstorm. "Isn't that the little wisp from the library. The one from before the ghost of Henrietta Armitage showed up?"

"Ummmm," Dexter said, letting the sound trail off as he glanced upward. "Maybe?"

"Prob'bly," Randy concurred.

"It doesn't matter," Alice said through grit teeth.

Dani opened her mouth to speak, having a particularly snide comment to make over the fact that Alice seemed to have tripped over a misplaced basketball before her arrival. Unfortunately, before she could form the words in her throat, Brainstorm went ballistic.

"I am Brainstorm!" the pink cloud roared, sparks flashing all around him. "I shall not be dismissed by youthful transgressors who are not even old enough to shave! You will all show proper respect and/or abject terror at my presence, and that is an order!"

Without looking up, Dani raised a finger and shot a blast of her ecto-ray out. The small shot struck Brainstorm dead center and knocked him flying. The pink cloud disappeared from sight through the ceiling and didn't return.

Alice watched the whole scene unfold before her eyes. Once the ghost was gone, she looked back down at Dani. Slowly, the girl undid the clasps that held her helmet in place, breaking the seal and removing it.

"That was our ghost," she growled, glaring over at a nonplussed Dani. "We had it, and you just blasted the thing away. Do you know how long we've been looking for that thing?"

"What, that?" Dani wondered, giving the ceiling where Brainstorm had disappeared through the barest of glances before looking back down at Alice. "That little wisp? He's harmless."

"He's a ghost!" Alice insisted loudly, her voice echoing off the gym walls. "All ghosts are dangerous!"

Dani scowled, letting Alice know without a single doubt that she'd touched a nerve.

"I'm half-ghost," she stated flatly. "And some ghosts just want to be left alone. Even if that little pink puff were malicious, I doubt it could do any damage."

"And you're willing to risk that?" Alice shrieked.

"Alice?" Randy tried.

"Maybe we should–" Dexter added.

Alice whirled around to give Dexter and Randy both a piece of her mind, while an amused Dani watched. However, at that moment, the sound of the gym doors being unlocked and opening up cut Alice off. The four of them froze as footsteps came toward them.

"Disappear," Alice hissed, shoving her helmet back on and sealing it into place. "Intangibility mode on, now!"

Dani was the first to vanish from sight, followed by the three Specter Detectors as each one punched the command into their belt buckles. The security guard that stepped onto the scene a moment later looked around at the empty gym, shining his flashlight onto the scattered basketball and scuffed floor.

Lowering his flashlight, the man reached into his own belt for the walkie talkie he kept clipped there.

"Steve," the security guard said into the device. "Steve, do you copy?"

"I copy," came the response from the security guard presumably named Steve. "You done with your round yet?"

"Just finished," the man replied, picking one of the basketballs up off the ruined floor. "Say, anyone feel like takin' a break from poker for a quick ten-point game in the gym?"

There was some muttering on the other end of the walkie talkie.

"We're there," answered Steve. "On our way!"

"Roger that," the security guard said before hooking the walkie talkie back to his belt and giving the ball a toss through the net. "Two points!"

Meanwhile, outside the gym, the trio of ghost hunters sans Dani Phantom leaned against the building wall, having just gone intangible through it. All three gasped for air as the knowledge that the crisis was over settled in.

"That little..." Alice fumed, feeling the rage boil in her blood. "She just... I mean she came in and... that little–"

"–tramp!" Alice shrieked, giving her locker door a hard slam shut in order to demonstrate her fury to the rest of the crowded hallway.

One or two people glanced her way, but for the most part, the rest of Arkham High's student body went on about their business, save for Randy and Dexter standing nearby. Both boys were close enough to hear, but far enough to avoid anything Alice might toss through the air in their direction.

It happened once before. Alice had taken losing a game of Pictionary especially bad.

"She still goin' on 'bout this?" Randy asked Dexter quietly.

"All morning," Dexter replied. "Be glad you missed it. I guess your Mom needing to go to the hospital ended up having a good side to it."

Having taken all the frustration she could on her locker without opening it a second time, Alice turned to Dexter and Randy. Each young man raised up straight as if being addressed by a drill sergeant. All around them, the rest of their peers made their way through the hallways to class before the bell rang. It looked as though even a semi-decent night's sleep wasn't enough to quash Alice's foul mood. The boys had held out their hopes regardless, but they'd been all for naught.

"Well?" Alice demanded questioningly when neither one spoke.

"What?" Dexter asked, his voice squeaking abnormally.

"Fo' sho," Randy replied. "We know you don' much care for Dani, but... Well, she ain't done nuthin' to either one o' us. We just think... you might be takin' this a bit too personally."

Randy shook his head, brushing the dreadlocks out of his blue eyes and dark face. Dexter did the same, but all this accomplished was spreading his cape of redish-brown curls everywhere. Some of the locks whipped Randy by mistake, and he gave the boy next to him a look.

"Sorry," Dexter apologized, more to avoid speaking to Alice.

Alice avoided looking at Dexter in favor of shooting daggers at Randy. Randy, to his credit, didn't completely whither beneath Alice's stare this time.

"So, this is how it is?" Alice asked, making it sound more like a threat. "Oh, I see. You find out this... this ghost girl can make herself appear human. Something that I will admit we haven't seen before, but nevertheless! She spins some crock story about how she's only half-ghost, and you fall for it hook, line, and sinker because... what?"

Dexter turned to Randy, looked over at Alice, then back at Randy.

"What's she going on about?" Dexter wondered, growing suspicious. "How do you know that Dani is half-ghost? When did she tell you that?"

"At the Dunwich Alley shopping center," Alice blurted out before Randy could reply, a tiny glint of smug satisfaction in her eye.

Dexter frowned, which made his whole face look like it was melting off.

"When did you run into her at the Dunwich Alley plaza?" he demanded to know. "And why didn't I find out about this?"

"I was s'pposed to be meetin' you," Randy said in his defense. "But you went 'n canceled, so I headed out there by myself. I bumped into her there."

Dexter's frown was replaced by a scowl. The long, curly-haired young man narrowed his eyes at Randy. Randy, for the most part, managed to appear nonchalant.

"And when was I supposed to find out about this?" Dexter demanded quietly, which wasn't easy to hear over the lingering noise of squeaky footsteps and mumbled conversation in the hall.

"I'd still love to know what went on," Alice broke in, sounding eager now that Dexter was properly riled. "All he gave me was a line about Diablo Nacho, then something to do with mannequins and a giant octopus."

"I ain't the only one what saw the giant octopus," Randy protested. "Plenty 'o others did too."

"Wait, you took her to Diablo Nacho?" Dexter demanded, looking wide-eyed and panicky. "You two went on a date?"

Randy rolled his eyes.

"I didn't go on a date with her," Randy stated, feeling his impatience growing. "We bumped inna each other, literally jus' so you both know, and I offered t' buy her lunch to apologize. We talked for a bit, and that's when I found out 'bout her bein' half-ghost."

"You got her to open up about being half-ghost?" Alice asked, the frown creasing the corners of her eyes and around her mouth as she began putting it together. "Wait, what did you tell her?"

"Yes," Dexter said, angrily. "Did you mention me at all?"

Alice gave Dexter a smack to the arm.

"Ow!"

"Not the time or place," Alice hissed at him, before turning back toward Randy. "I mean it. A girl like that wouldn't spill her guts to you, especially if she's half-ghost and you'd tried to attack her, unless you gave something about yourself away first."

Dexter was rubbing his arm, but when Alice gave voice to her concerns, he looked at Randy wild-eyed again.

"You didn't tell her about that time with the May Day carnival booth, did you?" Dexter asked, sounding very concerned now.

Alice smacked Dexter in the arm again.

"I didn' tell her anything," Randy said, though his voice sounded guilty even to him, "nuthin' she didn' already know, 'least."

Alice looked livid, and might have said more, but two things happened one after the other. Dani came gliding down the hallway wearing what looked to Alice like a very satisfied expression on her face. The bangs of her hair, Alice noticed, had been dyed a different color, going from neon blue to a dark red. It matched the rest of the girl's outfit. A black tube top rested snugly underneath a deep red leather jacket. The girl had on the same black leather boots, but the most ostentatious piece of the ghost girl's attire was her pants. They were red, and nothing like anything Alice had scene on the open market. At least half of them appeared to be made up of black belts and gold belt buckles.

"Hey, guys," Dani greeted cheerfully, which only served to irritate Alice all the more. "Didn't see any of you last night, but I figured you all made it out okay."

Alice would have fired off a retort, but she held her tongue in check. The reason for that was because of the second thing that happened almost at the same time. Alice had spotted Principal Peaslee heading their way. The man had come from around a corner into the main hallway, looking harried as ever. Alice wouldn't have been worried except for the fact that Peaslee had been headed in the opposite direction. The moment the principal spotted Alice, however, he'd switched directions.

Dani, meanwhile, had come from the opposite way, and had her back now pointed away from the older man. She couldn't see the principal or the look on his face. Alice recognized that look. She'd seen it on Principal Peaslee's face before, and it meant more work and frustration for her. She didn't need a ghost girl pretending to be human and the principal snooping around her looking for favors at the same time.

"We're fine," Alice said, keeping her eye on the approaching principal at the moment, who was sadly the bigger threat of the two. "No big deal."

"Miss Halsey-Wong," Principal Peaslee said once he was close enough, announcing his presence. "And, ah... Miss Kraven. Good to see you both."

Dexter and Randy both turned around at the sound of Principal Peaslee's voice. Once the boys had laid eyes on the man, all previous animosity was forgotten. Together, in unison, they nodded at one another and walked away.

"Sorry, Principal Peaslee," Dexter said. "But we're late for class..."

"...and can't afford t' be tardy," Randy added, moving along past Alice and Dani in the same step as Dexter. "You understand."

"See you around," Dexter called back, he and Randy both increasing their footfalls. "Sometime soon, maybe."

"'Sho 'nuff," Randy finished. "Just ain't gonna be now."

Principal Peaslee barely gave either young man a parting glance. His eyes remained rooted primarily on Alice and Dani. Alice felt herself getting uncomfortable with the scrutiny of the man's gaze.

"Miss, ah... Halsey-Wong," Principal Peaslee began once they were alone. "I've been meaning to, ah... pass some word along to you. Seems the student volunteer committee drew your name for the, ah... Happy Home Retirement Community youth aid project."

It took everything in Alice's power to resist groaning. Her parents had forced her to sign up. She hadn't wanted to, not with ghost hunting taking up so much more of her time, but her father insisted. She'd thought at the moment that it would be easy enough to duck out of doing anything if a ghost attack happened. That might still have been the case, but Alice had already used two of her good excuses. Worse yet, there wasn't anything that suggested a serious ghost emergency was about to happen, meaning she was stuck.

"The Happy Home Retirement Community," she repeated, loathing growing with each word uttered.

"They could use some student volunteers," Principal Peaslee explained, talking as though Dani and Alice were inanimate objects. "Just for the, ah... one afternoon, of course. And you, Miss, ah... Kraven. You could lend her a hand."

Alice turned to stare incredulously at Principal Peaslee. Dani, for the most part, didn't look utterly repulsed by the idea, though the girl was far from jumping for joy.

"I thought this was a volunteer thing," Dani pointed out, confused. "I don't remember ever signing up."

"You didn't," Principal Peaslee admitted plainly. "But putting your name down is really more of an afterthought."

"Doesn't she have a choice?" Alice asked.

Alice was loathed to come to Dani's defense, but the idea of having to work with the girl was even less appealing. Principal Peaslee eyed her for all of two seconds before returning his focus to Dani. Dani, for her part, looked unimpressed by the principal, a fact that didn't register with Peaslee whatsoever.

"Ordinarily, the student program is, ah... strictly voluntary," Principal Peaslee said sharply. "But since Miss Kraven is staying with relatives and her parents are presently out of the country, it seems unlikely that anyone will make a fuss. I expect both of you to report to the Happy Home this afternoon by four o'clock sharp."

With that, Principal Peaslee turned and marched off, muttering to himself.

"Now which way does that blonde Wells girl usually go at this time of the morning," both girls overheard him mumble. "I believe she has class in one of the lower level rooms."

Dani was watching the principal leave, but then turned toward Alice.

"So, that happened," the ghost girl said flatly.

"Yes," Alice replied miserably. "Unfortunately, you get used to it quickly. I know I did, anyway."

"We could always just ditch," Dani pointed out, shrugging. "I don't mind if you do too."

Alice snorted, though privately, the prospect sounded inviting.

"Why?" she challenged. "Have you got something better to do after school? Rattle some chains in an attic? Make curtains billow out?"

Dani scowled, but then rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

Alice watched as the ghost girl strode past without giving her any notice. The rebuff stung more than she cared to admit.

"Hey," she called out after her. "Remember, it's at four. I'm not cleaning up after a bunch of old people by myself."

"If I make it, I make it," Dani called back nonchalantly. "If I don't, it looks like you will be. See you around."

Alice fumed, and in her anger, kicked the lower locker. Her foot throbbed with pain, yet she relished the sensation briefly. It felt good to take her anger out on something that was in no position to fight back. Outside of ghost hunting, she felt like that a lot.

"I'll show her," Alice growled low, hobbling slightly now that the joy of attacking an inanimate object had died inside her. "Thinking she can just blow in like the wind and take over my turf. Some kind of freak. Think she knows everything about ghost hunting."

The pain in her foot wasn't going away, which only added to Alice's ire.

"What?" she added out loud to herself for no particular reason. "Were her parents ghost hunters too? Did they just adopt a ghost out of pity?"

Four o'clock came, and Alice was waiting outside Kingsport Falls Community Hospital with Randy, who had agreed to accompany her there. Dexter lucked out in that he got a call from his parents, insisting he return home on the spot. Alice would have roped both of them into giving her a hand so she could dismiss Dani on arrival. With Dexter gone, that left Randy, but he was at the hospital for a family matter.

"Shouldn't you head on up?" Alice asked while they stood under the canopy together.

"I'm good," he replied, keeping his voice even, but not looking at Alice. "Got a few more minutes b'fore I head upstairs."

Alice noticed that Randy was looking out toward the parking lot, as if watching for somebody. The brown paper bag in his hand crinkled as Randy's fingers tightened their grip on it. It didn't take much for her to work out who he was looking for.

"Shouldn't your new girlfriend melt in the daylight," she snarked ruefully. "Did she even give you her number, for that matter?"

"She's not m' girlfriend," Randy responded with, though he sounded less angry and more fed up. "An' I don' have her number. Yet."

Alice crossed her arms and scowled.

"I guess that means Dexter still has a shot, then," she muttered. "Lucky him."

Randy turned toward Alice and opened his mouth to toss back a retort, but nothing came out. Alice waited, then noticed that Randy had caught sight of someone out the corner of his eye. Turning, Alice stared in surprise at the hospital front doors. Dani was moving through them easily.

"How did you–?"

"I just... flew in from school," Dani replied, cutting her off. "Easier than taking the bus, and nobody ever seems to notice if a hospital gains or loses a person."

Alice scowled, while Randy grinned a big dopey grin at Dani.

"You're going to be drooling soon," she hissed, warning him. "You might want to look into that now so you don't humiliate yourself. That's Dexter's job."

Dani stopped a few feet away from Alice and Randy, keeping her distance. Alice saw that the girl was standing in the entrance drive, heedless of how anyone could come by, needing help. The inconsiderateness of this grated on her nerves, but she said nothing. Randy was there, and it was clear he was crushing on Dani bad. Alice knew that if she spoke out against the 'perfect' Ghost Girl, Randy would throw a fit.

Worse, he would tell Dexter about it later, making Alice look like even more of the bad guy.

Meanwhile, Dani was looking impatiently at Alice, who'd gone quiet as a result of retreating into her inner thoughts.

"Are we going in?" Dani asked, feeling uncomfortable, like she'd walked into the middle of something.

"What?" Alice exclaimed. "Huh? Oh, right. That thing we're doing. In a minute. Principal Peaslee cornered me after school with the news that he'd managed to rope a few other people into this. He wants us to wait here for them."

As if by some cosmic coincidence, the sound of screeching tires wailed through the parking lot. A bright red convertible spun to a stop in a nearby handicapped parking space. From within the convertible, bubblegum pop music blared out through a set of top-of-the-line speakers. All three youths standing in front of the hospital doors recoiled and grimaced, reeling with the sensation of having just had cotton candy forced into their ears.

Mercifully, the prepackaged corporate noise ceased when the ignition on the car was turned off. From out of it rose two fashionably dressed girls of the same age group as Alice. Alice blinked to make certain she wasn't hallucinating from an overexposure to mainstream billboard chart drivel.

There was no mistake, however. Angie Ellery and Heather McNamara strode up to the front of the hospital wearing clothes that their teenage bodies could barely fill out. Heather was moving as though she were a fashion model on a runway, yet her face betrayed a lack of confidence that the strut couldn't conceal.

"Oh," Heather said once she and Angie reached the hospital entrance and saw Alice standing there. "Hi, Alice. Long time, no see."

"Middle school does seem like such a long time ago," Alice retorted sarcastically. "Just not long enough."

"What are you doing here?" Angie asked, surprised, but pleased. "Peaslee roped you guys into volunteering too?"

"Jus' those two," Randy explained, piping up and pointing to Alice and Dani. "M' mom got called in for work on 'er day off. She asked me t' bring her some lunch from 'cross th' street."

"That's right," Heather said, nodding. "Your Mom's the head nurse here."

"Sho' nuff," said Randy, turning. "I gotta go up to th' top floor so she don't call wonderin' where I am. My bro's givin' me a lift home, so I'll see you both later."

Randy said the last part to Alice and Dani, giving Dani a warm smile.

"Later, ladies," Randy finished, giving all present a two-finger wave.

"He's pretty cool," Angie noted, watching as Randy headed through the automatic front doors of the hospital.

"Does he have a car?" Heather asked, interested.

"He barely has a learner's permit," Alice responded, scowling. "Randy's mom usually drops him off for school on her way to work, but he had to take the bus this morning because of her job. It happens a lot."

Alice trailed off as she finished her sentence, and blinked.

"Why am I even telling you this?" she wondered, looking at Angie and Heather. "And for that matter, why are the two of you even here? I thought public service was beneath the Fashion Club."

"According to Pamela, it is," Angie replied, looking none-too-pleased now. "She was the one Peaslee cornered."

"We're here as Pamela's representatives," Heather added, an uncomfortable expression marring her otherwise cute facial features.

"Meaning she has you doing her dirty work," Dani guessed, speaking out.

Heather's discomfort grew, but Angie merely looked past Alice at Dani and nodded.

"Pretty much," Angie confirmed.

"So where's the other one, then?" asked Alice, curious in spite of herself. "Heather Chandler. Isn't she supposed to be here?"

"Heather's helping Pamela with an emergency," Heather McNamara explained, pipping up suddenly. "Someone spread a rumor about Pamela having an STD around school, and her boyfriend, Seth, dumped her over it. Heather's helping Pamela pick out a new one at the mall."

"The mall?" Dani asked, raising an eyebrow. "She's just going to go pick out a new boyfriend, like a pair of shoes."

"That's how Pamela views them," Angie said.

"The mall sucks, though," Alice said, her curiosity not abating. "Pamela has announced that many times before, in very loud, grating tones. Why would she deem it worthy of her presence now?"

"Remember that incident a couple of weeks ago?" Angie explained. "The one where people said all those mannequins came to life and attacked shoppers? Pamela was there. She hasn't gone back since."

"Funny," Heather mused, more to herself than the group. "It was right after that the rumor spread around school. I guess it was a coincidence."

Somehow, Alice doubted that very much, but the conversation was finally beginning to bore her. Before she could say so, however, Dani piqued up.

"Shouldn't we go inside already?" Dani asked. "I'm not exactly thrilled to be doing this, but it's supposed to be for a good cause. And the sooner we get to work, the sooner we get finished and can go."

Alice felt her teeth grind together without meaning to do so. As she opened her mouth to concur–under venomous reluctance–something happened that drew the attention of everyone standing there.

Several vans drove up through the hospital parking lot to the main doors. Each van was emblazoned with a local news broadcast emblem. Alice and the others watched as the vans rolled to a stop, spilling out camera crews and news reporters. Soon, the crews were setting up in the line of sight of the Kingsport Falls Community Hospital sign.

"Okay," Alice said, feeling tired all of a sudden. "Now it makes perfect sense."

"Hm?" asked Angie.

"What?" wondered Heather.

"So this must be why Principal Peaslee wanted us here," Dani deduced. "So the news crews would catch sight of Arkham students volunteering. Explains why he said it was just for today."

"Right," Alice grumbled, concurring. "Well, let's go inside."

Dani and Alice started to head for the doors, along with Angie, bringing up the rear. Heather McNamara, however, lingered behind for a moment, eyeing the news crews.

"Maybe one of us should wait out here," Heather offered, not looking at the others. "In case someone needs to ask us questions."

Angie came back and dragged Heather away through the front doors.

"Come on," she ordered, keeping a tight grip on Heather McNamara's arm. "If they need to talk to somebody, I seriously doubt it'll be any of us. Especially you."

"We've had student volunteers before," the nurse at the station inside Happy Home Retirement Community said to Heather, leading her down the look-alike corridors. "But, um... some things came up and they had to go."

Heather was feeling less and less comfortable by the minute. Each room the nurse had lead her past contained an old person. More specifically, they contained an old person looking like the specter of Death had fallen behind on his paperwork, and hadn't come for them. The people in the retirement home looked downtrodden, almost fatalistic. The last time Heather had seen anything so gut-wrenching was when she watched that special on one of those pet channels about animals at the pound.

"We're all very happy you and your friends came," the nurse was saying now, snapping Heather out of her bleak thoughts and bringing her back to their bleak surroundings.

"Glad," Heather squeaked out, then cleared her throat. "I'm... real glad... to be here."

It was a lie, and even Heather knew that the nurse should see through it. The woman gave no obvious indication of it, though, and simply continued on. Heather stopped a moment later when the woman pointed her to an open laundry room.

"You go in there," said the nurse, not bothering to show Heather around. "There's some gloves over by the door. Sort the dirty laundry into piles. The soiled clothes go in the baskets while the bedsheets get put directly into the washer."

Heather opened her mouth, hoping she could work out a proper protest in time, but the nurse was already retreating. Wondering what Pamela had gotten her into, the teen entered the laundry room hesitantly. The room stank of bleach and detergent, as well as other things, and it was very humid. The box of synthetic gloves were indeed right where the nurse had said. Heather gave a small prayer of thanks for this and slipped them onto her slender hands, happy that they were the right size.

Before her, three enormous rolling bins of dirty laundry stood. Heather felt her stomach churn, but she steeled her nerves and pressed forward. Opening one lid, the girl reached in with her gloved hands to pick some of the clothes on the surface out. Before she could lift them all the way up, however, Heather was forced to take several steps back.

The lid slammed down when Heather let go of it, cutting off the stench. It still lingered in the air, though, overpowering the smell of bleach and detergent. Heather bent over, worried she might be about to throw up. She really should have skipped lunch like usual.

"Oh, god," she mumbled, trying to breathe through her mouth. "I'm not gonna make it..."

Heather closed her eyes and forced air down her lungs. Tears spilled out of her ducts, clinging to the edges of her eyes. Once she got her breathing back to normal, she stood up and held her back straight.

"You've been around your parents while they're drunk and fighting," Heather said to herself out loud. "You've sat through Thanksgiving dinner where your grandmother insults your Mom's cooking and they scream at each other. You've got this. You can handle this, Heather."

Having regained some of what little confidence she possessed, Heather nevertheless looked around for a clothes pin to clamp down on her nose. There didn't appear to be one in sight, which struck Heather as odd. Feeling very grossed out, Heather reached for the bin again and managed to raise it up without vomiting.

"Heather Chandler's always looking for new and inventive ways to purge," she mused quietly to herself, slowly sorting through the first bin of soiled laundry. "I think I may have found one."

For the next half-hour, Heather sorted through all three bins, separating the clothes from the blankets. The clothes had some very interesting brown smudges on them. Heather told herself these were chocolate stains–that, in fact, the whole hospital had served chocolate to each and every senior citizen for a week. The blankets had fewer of these smudges, but there were wet spots all over them in several places, and these were colored yellow.

"Lemonade," Heather said to herself, feeling the tremble in her voice. "Just... lemonade."

When she got to the blankets that had red stains on them, it became very hard to hold in her suspension of disbelief, not to mention her lunch.

"Cherry syrup?" she tried, feeling her resolve crack. "Tomato sauce, maybe?"

There was an unexpected chill. The room had been hot the whole time. Heather was sure she'd smudged her makeup by now. The coldness made her pause, though, and look around. The air was still humid, but the temperature seemed to be dropping fast.

"Hey, kid. You's got any cigarettes on ya? I'm fresh outta 'em."

Heather turned behind her in the direction of the unexpected voice.

Then, she screamed.

Following that, she screamed again.

"No need ta yell," the ghostly skeleton wearing the translucent pin-striped suit said, glaring irritably at her. "Iffa ya ain't got none, I'll jus' hafta go ask somebody else."

Heather did not stop screaming, but she did run out of the laundry room at top speed.

"Sheesh," the ghost grumbled, striking a match. "Kids these days."

"These things... are heavy!"

Alice blew out a puff of breath that caused her bangs to billow upward briefly, exposing her forehead. Clutching the plastic handles on the front of the rolling bin she had been pushing, Alice brought it to a stop in front of one of the stationary clothing hampers. Dani moved around to collect the dirty clothes and blankets from the hamper, though not before putting on a pair of the synthetic gloves she plucked out from the box lying on top of the rolling bin.

"I may have miscalculated," groaned Alice, watching Dani as she collected the clothes. "This thing doesn't roll nearly as well once it has clothes in it."

Alice had handed the task of collecting the dirty clothes over to Dani. The Ghost Girl had protested, but Alice won the argument by grabbing the then-lightweight bin and rolling it out of the room. Alice had thought she was giving herself the better job of the two. Handling soiled clothes sounded terrible, but pushing the bin was proving to be a lot more work than she'd bargained for.

Not only did the bin get heavier after each stop, it also didn't steer very well. The wheels on the thing were old, and wobbled like a shopping cart's. Alice had to throw her weight behind her each time they came to a corner just to get the damn thing to stop. The bin made wide turns like a truck, too. This by itself might not have been a problem, but the hallways were filled with staff, chairs, laundry hampers, and elderly people left alone and unattended in wheelchairs that weren't motorized like the Professor's.

Alice couldn't bring herself to look at the latter more than a second or so. Each time she did, one of the old folks would meet her gaze. It was like staring into a bottomless abyss. She felt a piece of her soul cringe and recoil each time.

"I'll take over," Dani volunteered, once she'd emptied out the hamper and slammed the lid back down. "You can have the hampers for a while."

"Oh, goodie," Alice muttered, though she accepted the trade gladly. "Aren't you just the giving spirit. Literally, now that I think on it."

Dani's eyes narrowed at Alice as she came around the rolling bin. Alice ignored her at first, but took notice when Dani flinched slightly at a nurse passing by them. The ghost girl gripped hold of the handles and pushed the bin forward, appearing to do so with relative ease. This only annoyed Alice more.

"What's the deal with you?" Alice wondered, keeping her voice low in case anyone overheard them, though that didn't seem likely. "That's the third nurse we've seen walk past us. You've jumped out of your skin each time."

Saying that, Alice gave pause for a moment.

"That is skin, right?" she asked, reaching over to poke Dani. "You do have flesh and bone at least part of the time, I'm assuming."

Dani scowled and jerked her arm out of the way from Alice's poking finger.

"I already told you before," Dani said, looking angry. "I'm only part ghost. My body is perfectly human except when I'm in ghost mode."

"Huh," Alice replied, keenly interested now. "So why are you so jumpy, then? Did you die inside of a hospital? Is that how you became part-ghost, then?"

"I didn't die in a hospital," Dani muttered, moving the bin along to the next hamper up ahead. "I just don't like them much."

"That not exactly a reasonable explanation," Alice countered challengingly, reaching for the gloves so she could empty the hamper out. "I don't know anybody who does like hospitals. Randy's mother works in this one, and she's never given me the impression that they're great places."

Dani didn't respond, choosing instead to watch Alice while she emptied the hamper of clothes. Once Alice finished, Dani pushed the rolling bin along, leaving Alice behind to snap the soiled gloves off her fingers.

"Gross," Alice said, hurrying along so she could deposit the gloves in the disposable bag hanging on to the rolling bin near the handles. "You still haven't answered my question, though."

"No, I didn't," Dani replied. "But I guess it's okay. I mean, it's not as though anyone would believe you if you told them at school. They'd think you were a crackpot more than me."

Alice froze at the smug smile on Dani's lips.

"Do you want to take over pushing the bin again?" Dani asked, bringing the rolling bin to an easy enough stop, "because there's the next hamper."

Alice's mouth pursed irritably, but she retrieved a new set of gloves and began emptying out the hamper that Dani had indicated.

"I spent a lot of time with specialists," Dani explained quietly while Alice worked. "People who study ghosts and spectral phenomenon. That kind of thing."

"I didn't know SoCal had hospitals that catered to spooks," said Alice, using 'spooks' simply because Randy had told her the word was offensive to Dani. "The medical insurance in that state must be better than people say."

"These weren't people that worked in hospitals," Dani replied, keeping her voice relatively neutral. "But they were able to swing some time in a laboratory to give me check-ups."

Alice blinked, then slammed the rolling bin lid shut. Dani wasn't looking at her, so she took the opportunity to study the ghost girl for a moment.

"You were sick?" she asked, after a moment of thought.

"Sort of," Dani said, keeping the rolling bin stationary while studying the lid closely. "My body used to be unstable. Any time I used my ghost powers, it started to degrade. My parents kept me out of school for a long time. It took years, but they were finally able to work out a cure that stabilized me. I didn't have friends outside of my older brother and big sister–and their friends too– until middle school."

Dani raised up finally, looking at Alice from across the rolling bin.

"Then I moved here," she finished.

"Oh," was all Alice could think of to say.

The two young ladies made their way through their rounds in silence for a bit. At every other room they came to, someone was inside either dozing or watching television with blank eyes. Hampers sat stationary at every third door or so, which meant Alice got a good look at the elderly people lurking inside. Many of them didn't have their lights on. She was only able to see them because of the sunlight drifting through the windows.

"Why do you think people live in these places?" Dani asked her, catching Alice off-guard with the question.

"Um, I don't know," Alice answered, speaking before she had composed her sentence properly. "I... guess, maybe, they don't have anywhere else to live. Either their families are dead, or... nobody wants them."

"Growing old must suck."

Alice thought this was a peculiar thing for Dani to say, but Dani had begun bringing the rolling bin around so she could push it back the way they'd come. Alice had to jump out of the way to avoid getting run down by it, and whatever she had been about to say was lost during the action. They had reached the end of the long corridor. The only hampers were the ones they'd emptied together.

That was what Alice thought, at least, until she caught sight of one out the corner of her eye. Looking again, Alice saw–much more clearly this time–the hamper a few feet from the open door of one of the rooms.

"Hold it," Alice called out to Dani. "There's another one?"

"Mm?" Dani asked, slowing the rolling bin to a stop and looking over her shoulder. "Where?"

Alice pointed to the open door, then began walking toward it before Dani could react.

"One of the orderlies must have stuck it in here earlier," Alice mused, passing through the door frame. "That, or a cleaning crew did it. Either way, this'll be the last one."

"Fine by me," came Dani's voice, straining slightly as she worked to maneuver the rolling bin through the room door.

"Forget it," Alice ordered. "It'll be much easier if we just move the hamper out there. That's where it's supposed to go."

"Oh, right." Dani moved the rolling bin out of the way so she could enter the room unobstructed and without phasing. "Wait, I forgot the gloves."

Alice shook her head, looking around the room nosily while waiting on Dani to return with the gloves. The room didn't appear to be occupied. There weren't a lot of personal effects lying around. Then again, Alice realized, there had been a number of rooms that they'd passed which looked even bleaker than this one. The thought gave her chills, though she couldn't adequately explain why.

One thing stood out to Alice, though. A small, black-and-white television set resting on a stand in the far corner was turned on. It looked as though someone had been watching an old episode of The Three Stooges. Weirdly, however, there was no sound coming from it.

"Got 'em," Dani said, returning.

Alice blinked, but didn't take her eyes off the TV set.

"Right," she said, going over to where the television was. "Start emptying the hamper, then. We shouldn't have much more to do after this, unless Peaslee wants us to talk to the press directly, which I doubt."

"That sounds like it would be something he'd rather handle," Dani said, not moving from the spot where she stood. "And, sorry, but I'm not a member of your little ghost hunting group. You're not going to order me around the same way you do Randy and Dexter."

Alice, by this point, had turned the TV set off. Raising up, she scowled back over at Dani, who remained defiant.

"Sorry, I was the one Peaslee dragged into this," she declared angrily. "You were just along for the ride. So get started so we can both go home. Unlike Randy, I'd rather not spend the rest of my afternoon with..."

Alice hesitated, but Dani was already getting mad.

"What?" Dani demanded, rising to the challenge. "Mixed company?"

Alice narrowed her eyes, but didn't respond right away.

"You can finish this yourself," Dani decided, throwing the box of gloves down onto the floor. "In case you've forgotten, I don't need doors to leave. Have fun emptying that hamper on your own."

Alice saw red. In the heat of the moment, she thought she heard someone talking, but that couldn't be the case. She and Dani were alone, and Dani was heading for the door.

"Go ahead, then," Alice taunted. "Use your powers. You can fly off whenever you feel like, but the rest of us have to deal with real problems."

Dani whirled around, fury etched all over her face, and raised a fist as if she intended to use it.

"Real problems?" Dani retorted snidely. "Like what? Having to..."

Whatever else Dani had been meaning to say was lost. Alice watched as a wisp of cold breath rose up from the girl's mouth.

"Oh, no."

Alice wasn't sure what the cold breath meant. It was perfectly warm in the room when Dani somehow made it appear. Though, immediately after, Alice felt the temperature of the room plummet. Looking around, she saw two ghostly figures float through the far wall above the headboard of the bed.

"I said," one of the two skeletal figures barked. "Turn the blasted TV back on!"

"Yeah, we were watchin' that," the other replied, holding up a flaming card from a deck in his hand that somehow managed to not burn up.

"Kids these days," the first skeletal ghost grumbled, brushing the side of an old-fashioned machine gun he had clutched in his hands with one thumb. "Got no respect whatevers."

"WhatSOevers," the second ghost corrected quietly.

"It's 'whatsoever', actually," Alice butted in politely, reaching for her phone. "And should I be surprised at all than an Old Folks home is haunted?"

The question had been meant more for Dani than the ghosts themselves. Dani didn't answer, however, as she was too busy changing from human to her ghost state.

"Going Ghost!" Dani yelled, much to Alice's surprise.

"Wait!" Alice protested, as Dani Kraven flashed into her Dani Phantom form and opened fire at once without hesitation at both specters. "We should..."

Whatever Alice thought they should do didn't matter. Dani's ecto-blasts knocked both skeletal ghosts backward through a wall. Alice watched as the ghosts vanished from sight, then grit her teeth together.

"You did it again!" Alice howled, angrier than she could remember being, even after the time Dexter had borrowed the tampon she kept in her locker for a science project without asking.

"Come on," Dani replied, acting as though she hadn't heard Alice's angry outburst. "They're going to get away."

"Yes, because you blew them through a wall," Alice retorted, kicking her feet in protest when Dani flew into the air over her head and snatched Alice up off the floor. "Again! And put me down. I'm not finished yelling at you."

Dani ignored Alice again and went intangible, phasing the two of them through a wall. Alice flinched–the sensation of going intangible without her armor on feeling alien to her. Dani raced through row after row of rooms, keeping herself and Alice invisible the whole time. No one noticed, not even when Dani made them visible briefly.

"Where'd they go?" Dani wondered.

Alice, meanwhile, was looking down at the bedridden form of an ancient woman. The elderly lady looked directly up at them both without flinching.

"Hi," Alice said nervously. "Um, this isn't what it looks like. Actually, you should just go back to sleep because... um, this is all a dream! Yeah, that's it."

Alice stopped short, going rigid at the same time, as a shrill scream rang out.

"That way," she said, pointing toward the sound, which happened to be at a wall.

"Right," agreed Dani, going intangible again. "Hold on tight."

"Like I have a choice?" Alice wondered as they both disappeared through a wall.

Back in the room, the withered old woman lying still in her bed blinked.

"Damn ghosts," she grumbled, turning over onto her side. "Always raising hell over something."

Angie was not having fun. The nurse she was assigned to work with assured her that she would not be given a task too complicated. Rather than feel assured, Angie took that to mean she was being set up for something. It turned out, this was both true and false.

Replacing the toilet paper rolls and seat covers in the bathrooms had been neither complicated nor gross. The problem was that it was boring, and though the nurse didn't verbally concur, Angie got the impression that the woman felt the same way.

They'd been in the public shower area. The retirement home had one for residents that were unable to bathe themselves. According to the nurse, it was so everyone could be bathed together at the same time and feel a sense of community spirit. Angie felt like it was because the staff wanted to save time, and she said so.

The nurse had looked at her like she was about to make a retort, but that was the point where the... thing showed up. It was hovering off the ground, emaciated, and glowing. The nurse had screamed, which had caused the... ghost, Angie supposed, to pin the woman to a wall with florescent knives.

Angie had run after that, and the whole thing was a blur.

Thankfully, a screaming Heather slammed into Angie as she was rounding a corner. The girls ended up in a pile together with Heather on top.

"Ghost!" Heather screamed, sounding as though she were hyperventilating. "REAL ghost, I swear. It was... It had... And then it..."

"I know," Angie said, pushing Heather off of her so she could get up, but then helping the terrified girl to her own feet. "I saw it too."

Heather was still panicking, and hadn't registered yet that Angie shouldn't have seen the same ghost that she had if they'd been in two different places at the same time.

"Which way?" Angie asked, taking Heather's hand and giving it a squeeze.

Heather pointed, but not to answer Angie's question with a non-verbal indication. Back in the direction where Angie had run from, the skeletal ghost figure was floating their way, looking mad and brandishing knives. Each one was clutched between a bony finger.

Heather screamed again.

"Well, not that way," Angie decided, ignoring the ringing in her ears. "This way."

Angie's intention was to drag Heather back in the direction where she had come from. That proved to be just as bad of an idea. Angie and Heather both stopped short as second skeletal figure floated down the hall toward them.

Heather screamed yet again. Angie was becoming used to it, but didn't want to stick around so that Heather would find this out.

"Guess it's this way, then," said Angie, pulling a hesitant and still shrieking Heather down the corridor toward the approaching ghost.

There was an adjoining hallway halfway down. Angie managed to reach it before the ghosts did and yanked Heather after her. Heather finally stopped her shrill cries and took in a deep enough breath that helped pump the adrenaline through her bloodstream. Putting on the steam, she gripped Angie's hand and broke into a run. A shocked Angie found herself having to push to keep up with Heather.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Alice and a ghostly, tanned figure with white hair that was carrying Alice appeared in front of them through a wall. Heather saw this and came to a stop. There was a brief exchange where both parties stared at each other in shock, before Heather passed out cold.

"They say the company you keep speaks volumes about who you are," Alice drolled. "I guess this answers a lot of questions, then."

Angie might have been offended, but there were still two ghosts chasing after her.

"Ghosts!" she cried out, pointing back behind her and hoping the whole time that the spooky figures were still there, and not gone like something from an old cartoon.

Then again, the more she thought of it, the ghosts being gone wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After Alice had insulted her, though, Angie felt she needed a little bit of validation. Luckily, the black-and-white dressed flying girl with white hair set Alice down and shot blasts out of her hands back behind Angie. Angie stared with her mouth hanging wide open.

She had not been expecting that, though the flying did somehow make more sense now.

"There are at least two more of them," she heard Alice say while the strange flying girl with superpowers blasted away. "We need to find a safe place for you."

Angie was about to correct Alice, saying they needed a safe place for everyone, when the remaining two ghosts appeared into view through the ceiling and floor.

"These is the brats that was makin' all that racket," the one with the knives said to a skeletal ghost holding up a machine gun. "Jus' like we's told ya, boss."

The machine gun-wielding ghost stepped–or rather, floated–forward.

"Name's Tommy Montana," said the ghost. "This here's Shuffle Marlowe, Matches Malone, and Knives Scapelli."

Angie noticed that the one talking had a deep scar on his face, or on the ghostly bones that passed for a face, as it were.

"Fascinating," said the flying girl a few short feet ahead of Angie, using herself as a shield. "What do they call you? The Boo Brothers?"

"She's got a mouth on 'er," the one called Knives Scapelli noted.

"Noted," responded Tommy Montana. "We four gentlemen like to refer to ourselves as the Ghostfellas."

"Wow," the flying girl said, looking surprised. "I almost had it. I had a ghost pun and everything. I just picked the wrong one."

"This is our turf, see?" said Shuffle. "And one rule we's got here is that we ain't ever allowin' any brats inside."

"Hey, it's not like any of us wanted to come here," the flying girl barked back sharply. "We had to. And what business is it of yours anyway?"

"Great, make them more angry, Dani," Angie heard Alice mumbled. "Good job."

"Dani?" Angie asked, turning around to look at Alice. "Isn't that the new girl at school?"

Alice pursed her lips in reply, but several things happened to prevent the conversation from going any further. The ghost called Shuffle whipped out a deck of cards and began tossing each one their way. The cards were on fire, and they somehow exploded on impact. One blew up near Angie's head, making her cry out. Instinctively, she lunged forward to shield Heather's body, who was just starting to come around.

"Ooohhh, my head," Heather moaned. "Did I get trampled at another shoe sale?"

Angie shielded her face with an arm as a burst of green flame flew out of the ghost called Matches.

"Nothing quite so drastic," Angie told her. "But we need to get out of here."

Alice helped them both to their feet, then led them up the corridor away from the battle. Looking back, Angie saw that the flying girl was zipping back and forth, dodging in and out of the attacks while firing off some of her own.

"So, she's a ghost too?" Angie asked Alice while still running at a full gallop. "Is that really the new girl, or do they just coincidentally have the same name?"

"Never mind!" Alice shouted back, still running in the lead next to Heather. "Not now! We need to get out of here."

Angie was too busy running for her life to think of a well-worded argument for this. The corridor they were all racing down together veered to the left sharply at a dead end. Far up ahead, Angie spotted what looked like the narrow hallway that the nurse had taken her down to get to the communal showers. A relieved smile spread over her face, then. That particular hallway took them back toward the main desk. Once there, they would be home free.

"This way!" Angie said, making a sharp turn to the right once they had reached the end of the corridor. "It's the way out."

This particular hallway, Angie remembered, took them through the lounge area. The place had been occupied with the few residents who felt active enough to get out of bed before evening time. The three young women reached it without any sort of problems, which in hindsight, Angie would later think, was the first clue that things wouldn't go according to plan.

The lounge was in pandemonium. Paintings were floating off the walls. Wheelchairs carrying screaming residents were rolling back and forth on the ceiling. Nurses were in tears, racing about screaming in terror as syringes chased them.

"I guess this means we're not leaving," Heather observed in a strangely calm voice.

"If Dani doesn't get here soon," Angie heard Alice snarl, "I'm going to kill her. Ghost or no ghost!"

Together, the three ladies raced through the lounge to the other side, stopping to help whoever they could along the way. Several grateful nurses began doing what they could to get the elderly in wheelchairs down from the ceiling. Thinking that they had the situation better in hand, and wanting to get the hell out, the girls pressed onward.

Reaching the main doors, all three stopped short, finding them blocked off. The electronic motion sensor doors were shut tight, but that wasn't the part that worried Angie so. A crowd had gathered, blocking the way out off, while one orderly mashed in a frantic manner at the buttons on a nearby control panel.

"I can't get them open!" he cried out in anger. "Something's jammed the system. None of the codes will work properly."

Real panic began to grip Angie as she realized her friends and herself were trapped inside a retirement home with four angry ghosts, and with no way out.

"If we die from this," Angie swore, "I'll come back to haunt Pamela!"

Randy walked backward, almost bumping into a nurse pushing an empty stretcher down the same hallway, while his mother watched.

"Bye, Mom," he said, waving while she watched wearing a critical half-smile. "See you when ya get off inna few hours."

"I'm sure that sounded better in your head," she called back teasingly, giving her son a wave. "I look forward to you describing to your psychologist one day the face you made when it finally hit you."

Randy froze, having just had a horrible dark night of the soul moment, but then shook it off.

"Right," he said, shuddering. "Late."

Randy made his way down the winding corridor for the elevator, trying desperately not to think 'the Thought' attempting to enter his mind as a result of his mother's words. He loved her dearly, but she had a twisted sense of humor. The automatic double doors were straight ahead, and had just popped open to let in two well-dressed women–the shorter of the two carrying a baby in her arms–when his cell phone rang.

"Speak," Randy said, and then added jokingly, "Alice, didja finally 'scape from th' death trap."

"That's not funny!" Alice snapped irritably over what sounded to Randy like a bunch of noise in the background. "Randy, the death trap really is a death trap!"

Randy waved politely at the two ladies before entering the elevator. The doors shut without any prompting from him. Alone, he hit the button for the ground floor while, on the other end of the phone, people screamed.

"The hell are you?" he wondered. "Sounds like you in some kinda ol' horror movie."

"I am!" Alice snarled on the other end of the line. "Randy, there are ghosts inside of the retirement home and they're causing everything to go nuts. People are trapped in here, including me! And Dani, I guess..."

Randy frowned as the elevator began its descent.

"So," he began, confused, "transform and take care of them."

"I can't," Alice replied, growing frantic. "Angie and Heather are with me. You know how the Professor feels about us exposing our identities to people. Dani's on her own here."

"On m' way," Randy assured her, all business now. "I'm in th' elevator now an' I'm on my way down. I can be there inna few. Find a place t' slip away to if you can an' change. I'll meet up with you."

"Thanks," Alice said, sighing with relief. "I was worried I was going to be here all alone."

"You ain't alone," replied Randy reassuringly. "I'm here, and Dani's there."

Alice's tone turned decidedly frosty.

"Lucky me."

Alice terminated the call, then turned to a frantic-looking Heather and only slightly less freaked-out Angie.

"Well?" Heather squeaked out.

"No such luck," she lied, covering in advance for Randy. "Randy's already gone, but he said that he'll call the cops for us. I'm going to go see if I can... find Dani."

"Wait," Angie cried, stopping Alice before she could complete a single step. "We should stick together. You can't go off alone. It's not safe."

"No, it's not," Alice agreed, looking over her shoulder at Angie, the girl who had once upon a time been her friend. "You two should stay here in case they manage to get the doors open. Dani's on her own dealing with those... things. She shouldn't be alone either."

Angie's face sort of slumped in defeat. A worried Heather nodded, giving her silent consent, not that Alice had required it.

"Hurry," Heather told her. "You're right. None of us should be on our own right now."

"I will," Alice promised.

"Get back here with her," Angie added, trying to look tough, "or I'll have to kick your ass."

This made Alice smile, to her own surprise.

"Yeah," she mouthed off, while breaking into a run. "I look forward to you trying. Go for it!"

"I'll do it!"

Alice laughed at Angie's echoing words. The rest of the retirement home was still in chaos, though orderlies and nurses were trying to maintain some semblance of order. The residents were either sobbing uncontrollably, having hysterics, or staring blank-faced at the walls. Alice tried not to think too hard about the implications of the last one and kept moving.

It took much longer than Alice felt it should have to come to an empty room. The third corridor on the left finally had one, though. Once inside, Alice slammed the door shut and pulled out her phone.

"Let's Specterize!" she shouted, giving the command phrase, followed by the activation code.

The rings that surrounded her waist and encompassed her body shined brightly in the dimly lit room. When Alice's transformation was complete, she slid the phone into the slot on her belt buckle, then raced out the door.

"Now," she said aloud to herself, drawing her spectral bo staff. "If I were a bunch of ghostly old farts haunting a retirement home, where would I go?"

In answer, Dani came flying through a wall past her, going solid a whole second before her body made contact with the wall on the opposite side. Alice watched this, then turned to the spot where Dani had appeared from.

"Obviously," Alice said, answering her own question, "to wherever the other side of that wall is!"

Going intangible, Alice dove in and rolled to a stop, becoming solid once more. Going through the wall had brought Alice into the main dining area. The Ghostfellas were tormenting one of the nurses, spinning a wheelchair they'd duct taped her to around like a carnival ride. Someone–it looked like the Ghostfellas, probably–had decorated the place with balloons and streamers. Taking aim, Alice ignored the two watching and laughing and fired her wrist blaster at Matches and Shuffle, who were controlling the wheelchair. Her blasts hit straight and true, knocking them both back.

"And I can remember when I would have paid for that kind of treatment," she said. "Don't worry, ma'am. The Specter Detecters are here, and this party is officially over."

Tommy Montana turned toward Knives, then gestured at Alice with his bony finger.

"Who's dis bloke supposed to be?" he asked.

Alice felt her face flush with anger.

"I'm a girl," she said, motioning to her body. "I know you're just blobs of ectoplasm, but that much should be obvious."

"This punk's got as much offa mouth on 'er as those kids we chased off," Knives noted. "Guess it takes all types, eh?"

"S'the way these kids're bein' brought up today," Tommy stated, looking grim. "No respect whatsoevers."

"It's 'whatsoever'!" Alice yelled.

Meanwhile, Shuffle and Matches had recovered and were back to levitated above the floor. Each one eyed Alice angrily through sockets that had no eyeballs in them.

"Sheesh," Alice said, backing away in revulsion. "You'd think the two of you could manifest some irises, at least."

"Don' worry, boss," Shuffle said, holding up a five-card hand that burned bright. "We got this."

Matches lit a fresh cigarette, then exhaled a plume of smoke and fire.

"Sometimes, you's just gotta drive the point home a wee bit hard," said Matches in a smooth, yet threatening tone. "Stick it in real good so they's don' forget."

Alice took aim with her wrist blaster again, but Shuffle threw his exploding cards, forcing her to dodge and her shot to go wild. The nurse strapped to the wheelchair screamed, more out of fright than any actual danger, but it worried Alice all the same.

"Randy," she said through the comm link in her helmet. "I'm transformed, and I could really use some help!"

Knives tossed his glowing blades at Alice's helmeted head while Matches breathed flames at her feet. An exploding card from Shuffle caught her in the chest, knocking Alice back off her feet. The armor protected her, but she still wound up on her back with the Ghostfellas closing in on her.

"Young punks today," said a menacing Tommy Montana, holding up his machine gun. "They got no idea how tough it was. How tough it can be. Sometimes, you just gotta let 'em know!"

Tommy's scar began to glow a bright orange color, the same color that was now alight in his eyes. Alice shut her own eyes reflexively, unable to face what was coming. Her ears picked up the sound of a blast being fired. Alice winced and waited for the pain to rip through her body. When nothing came, she dared take a peek, and saw the Ghostfellas were no longer in front of her.

"Hey, boys," came Dani's voice from off to the side. "She's my date for the evening. You'll have to find one of your own."

Tommy's eyes were on fire as he opened up on Dani with his machine gun. The shots went everywhere, ectoplasmic bullets tearing through chairs and tables. Dani ducked and wove out of the way, taking the wheelchair-bound nurse with her to keep the woman from being harmed.

"Dammit," Alice swore. "Dammit, Dani! I had this!"

Alice leapt to her feet and charged, swinging her bo staff the whole time. The green stick struck Tommy's gun, causing the blasts from it to perforate the ceiling. Tommy Montana whirled on Alice, intending to strike her, but the neophyte ghost hunter fired a shot from her wrist blaster at point-blank range. Tommy was knocked backward himself, leaving a shocked Knives, Matches, and Shuffle to face her down.

"I am so sick of you getting in our way every single time there is a ghost attack," Alice roared, taking her frustration out on the three remaining Ghostfellas. "Randy is on his way, and we've got this! You don't need to be here."

"Alice, watch out!" Dani cried, stopping in the middle of untying the nurse to blast Knives, who had been on the verse of stabbing Alice from behind with two much-larger-than-average blades.

Alice turned just as Dani's blast sent Knives sprawling through the floor.

"What did I just say?!" an enraged Alice shrieked.

"You're welcome," came the dry retort from Dani before she resumed freeing the now-crying nurse.

Her blood boiling, Alice turned her aggression back to the Ghostfellas, spinning her staff wildly and catching several in very sensitive places that might've hurt, if not for the fact that they were already dead.

"This is our turf, Dani Phantom," she roared. "And nobody–"

Alice began to punctuate each word with a blow from her staff or a shot from her wrist blaster, firing the latter without any more sense of caution or restraint.

"–invited–"

Matches found himself the recipient of a kick to the face.

"–you–"

Tommy Montana's gun was broken in half from Alice hitting it hard with her staff, leaving it as a dissolving piece of ectoplasmic junk.

"–to Kingsport Falls–"

Alice punched Shuffle clean in the face, which somehow sent off the cards he had been about to throw at her, resulting in his whole hand exploding.

"–or asked for–"

As a final insulting act, Alice brought down the staff clean onto Knives Scapelli's head.

"–your help!"

Reaching for the Polter-Vac attached to her hip, Alice turned the device onto the three Ghostfellas and pressed the button, turning it on. Each Ghostfella let out a howl of protest as they were swept up inside of it. Once all four ghosts were gone, Alice let out a sigh of relief, feeling better for the first time all day.

"And that," she said, turning around to face Dani, "is how it is–"

The words froze in Alice's throat before she could finish the sentence. The dining room was a total disaster area. Streamers were on fire and there were ruptured balloons everywhere. Tables and chairs had somehow gotten turned over and were full of smoking holes. Dani stood alone in the room, crouched down behind a glowing green shield of some kind.

"Um, where went the nurse?" she asked, avoiding noticing the damage for the moment.

"She ran out of here," Dani answered, dropping her shield. "Screaming her head off, I might add. You almost hit her about five times before she made it to the door. I had to cover her."

"Oh," was all Alice could think of to reply with.

A moment of awkward silence followed, but Alice squared her shoulders and powered through it.

"Well, the important thing is that all four ghosts were captured, and that I did it all by myself without any help from anyone." Alice gave herself a self-congratulatory smirk. "I think that's good news that the Professor will be glad to hear."

Dani watched as Alice marched out of the room, her head held high behind the helmet. A burning streamer crumpled to the floor from above and slowly turned to ash. Dani stared at it for a moment before shifting back to her human form.

"At least the Professor will have good news about something," she muttered, leaving out through the door.

"This is Mike Gabberston reporting to you live from the Kingsport Falls Community Hospital! As we can see behind me, the annex building, a retirement home, has been ransacked by what the network is determined to pin the blame on: a bunch of teenage hooligans!"

Mike Gabberston turned to the side, keeping himself in the camera's field of view, so that the viewers at home could see the damage through the window from their vantage point outside.

"Reports are coming in of severe trauma and post-traumatic stress inflicted on both the residents and staff members," Mike continued on with. "Police are being sent to investigate, but we'll see if we can't have a word with some of the youthful transgressors and get a comment from them about which gang they are associated with."

At that moment, Dani and the others exited out through the main hospital entrance, looking harried and very tired.

"Ah, I believe I see some of the youth-gone-wrong now," Mike declared happily. "Excuse us! Can we have a word with you young people?"

The five of them–Randy included–slowed to a stop as Mike raced toward them with camera crew in tow.

"Do any of you have anything you'd like to say or comment regarding this unprovoked attack on our senior citizens?" Mike blurted out, shoving a microphone in Dani's face.

"Buzz off," Dani retorted, swatting the mic away one-handed.

"Really," Angie added. "Like any of this was our fault."

Mike stepped back, watching dumbfounded as the five of them marched off toward the parking lot.

"You can't conceal the truth forever!" he called out, shaking his fist once none of them were close enough to smack him.

"What a day," Alice moaned. "Thanks for getting those doors open for us, Randy."

"No problem," Randy replied, giving Alice a meaningful nod. "Glad I was able to help. Also glad nobody got real hurt or anythin'."

"You were a real hero," Heather said, grinning at him.

"At least we can all go home now," Angie pipped up. "I think I'll need about ten showers. Nobody at school will ever believe this."

"Principal Peaslee sure won't," Alice agreed. "I wonder how he's going to put a good spin on this fiasco."

Angie and Heather both said their quick goodbyes. Heather in particular seemed keen on making sure Randy saw her wave to him. Strangely, Alice didn't feel jealous. If anything, she wondered whether or not the girl would remember this at school.

Turning around, she saw that Dani was already walking off, no doubt to change back to Dani Phantom and fly home. Randy was watching her leave, a look of unconcealed boyish desire on his face. It irked Alice that he could be so blatant about it.

"You do realize Heather McNamara was just lusting after you, right?" she pressed. "Aren't you even a little upset that she didn't say goodbye?"

"Who, Dani?" Randy asked, turning to Alice. "Nah. She waved. An' it ain't as though we're not gonna see each other tomorrow or sumthin'."

Alice felt herself grow even more annoyed at the way Randy was being so rational about the situation. To take her mind off it, she looked back at the retirement home. More news crews were arriving, joining Mike Gabberston out front to film the damage.

"Think they'll really blame this on us?" Randy asked.

Alice blinked. She hadn't actually been thinking about that at all. Her mind had been back inside the building, thinking of all the people there who wouldn't be going home, on account of their already being home.

"Who cares?" she said decidedly. "Let's go."

And home, they went.


	5. S1E5 -- Shock Treatment

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

Episode 5 – Shock Treatment

" _Politics are a real shock to the system!"_

Episode Guide: Dexter finds himself running for the position of ASB president at Arkham High thanks to an unknown benefactor who may have less-than noble political goals in mind.

Dani's eyes flew open.

She'd been having a dream, a dream similar to the ones she'd had since moving to Kingsport Falls. In this one, she and her older brother were both fighting side by side. Her powers were eroding her body, and Danny was yelling for her to leave, to retreat so that she could recover. Vlad's forces had fallen, and the monsters under the thrall of her brother's evil older alter-ego were advancing.

Dani raised up slowly off her pillow, sitting up in bed. It took several deep breaths before she could calm herself down.

"The Ghost Wars were over ten years ago," Dani reminded herself out loud. "Get a hold of yourself, Fenton. You're just jittery because of the move. That's all."

Dani couldn't figure another reason for why she would be dreaming about the battles fought over Amity Park. She was barely a year old when they happened. Granted, she'd had the body of a pre-teen at the time. Being a clone made birthdays weird.

Dani slid out of bed and walked over to her bedroom window. Outside, the streets of Kingsport Falls were relatively quiet. The town didn't have much of a nightlife, but then, neither had Amity Park. The New England town slumbered along with the residents living within it.

Dani glanced down at the window sill where she'd placed the doll. The shopkeeper at Dunwich Alley had given it to her as a gift to stir up business for himself. She'd considered putting the thing at the back of her closet, but Aunt Caroline had gushed over the little handcrafted toy on sight. Wes, of course, had laughed at her for having it. As punishment, Dani threatened to flirt with Wes's friend the next time they were together just so Wes would have to deal with his best friend swooning over her. That had shut him up.

Once upstairs and in her room, Dani had changed her mind about the doll and put it on the window sill for display. Holding the doll gave Dani a strange sort of comfort. It almost seemed to be looking at her.

Turning around very quickly, Dani brushed a chill that had unexpectedly crept up both of her arms. To distract herself, she looked around the room that she'd been staying in for all of two months. Posters of NASA shuttles and Dumpty Humpty concerts hung on the wall, as well as of the Screaming Lemurs, a band she'd briefly enjoyed. The poster was awesome enough by itself for Dani to keep: a pack of anthropomorphic cats playing musical instruments.

The band had a surprisingly strong following with certain groups online, weirdly enough.

Try as she might, Dani found her thoughts drifting back to ten years prior. Danny's alter-ego, Dan Phantom, had escaped from Clockwork's prison in the Ghost Zone. It had happened just as Vlad Masters was putting his scheme of roughly a year into motion. The aftermath of the first battle was such a catastrophe that Vlad and the Fentons were forced to work together.

The day was eventually saved, of course, but the Ghost Wars had all but leveled Amity Park. It took over a year of reconstruction before it was rebuilt. Even with all the money Vlad had donated, it still wasn't enough for him to escape sentencing. The general public placed most of the blame on Vlad, citing his meddling with ghostly affairs as part of the reason why the evil version had escaped in the first place. It wasn't true, of course, but a part of Dani felt a grim sense of satisfaction knowing Vlad was in jail now, even if it wasn't for the things he'd done to Dani and her family.

Knowing Vlad was now fully human helped sweeten the taste of justice.

"A few nightmares and I go all maudlin," Dani grumbled, turning to her computer. "I need to unwind for a bit."

The plan was for her to play Zombie Go-Cart Holocaust until she passed out. Upon logging in, however, Dani discovered that she had a new video message from her parents.

"Just what I needed," Dani said happily, meaning it.

The video took less than a minute to download. For all of Kingsport Falls' cobblestone streets and old-fashioned streetlamps, the wi-fi was excellent.

" _Hey, Dani!"_ said Jack excitedly the moment the video began playing. _"How you been? Sorry we've been so late with replies lately. The phenomenon in space seems to be gunking up the signals a bit. Valerie and her father have an idea on how to work on that, though, so maybe things'll pick up soon!"_

"Are you sure it was the phenomenon and not fudge," Dani quipped to herself.

Despite her snark, she smiled at the image of her father, relieved and happy just to see his face.

" _Everyone else is doing great up here,"_ Jack went on, oblivious to Dani's emotions, though because of long-distance communication and not his overall general clueless behavior. _"It'd be great if you could join us in a few years. We could really use your help. Your mother has me cleaning the toilets, so it'd be a big help if you could chip in and throw a little elbow grease around."_

"I think I'll leave that one to you, Dad," Dani responded, despite knowing Jack couldn't hear her. "Mom gets pissed when you try to push your chores onto someone else."

" _We'll send a video for you with all of us in it soon,"_ Jack promised, his eyes growing tender now. _"Everybody's on conflicting schedules, so it's kinda hard to get together for these family calls, but we'll make a point of it ASAP. Oh, and while I'm thinking about it..."_

Jack reached down and fumbled with something off-screen for a moment. When he raised up again, a tablet was clutched in his gloved hands.

" _It's my latest invention,"_ he said, sounding impressed with himself. _"The Fenton Ghost Profiler! It takes the basic principle of social media and adds ghosts to it. Now you can chat with ghosts and blather on about various insignificant details. There's even a dating app!"_

Jack held the tablet up to the camera so Dani could see the screen. Unfortunately, the camera's quality wasn't the best, so all she could make out was a big blur.

" _Right, there was one other thing too,"_ Jack added, tossing the tablet aside carelessly. _"Your mother reminded me before I made this video that I should answer your question. The one about the nutty professor living in your town."_

Dani raised up and listened carefully, holding one hand over the mouse in case she needed to back the video up for a re-watch.

" _Unfortunately, there's nothing in our files concerning a ghost professor named Amelia Wraitheon,"_ Jack said. _"Or a professor who teaches about ghosts, anyway. The name doesn't ring a bell with me, but it could just be that she's kept a really low profile. After all the business in Amity over the years, some of the people in our field went underground for a while in case there was backlash from the public."_

Dani frowned, figuring that might have been the case. Though, if she were honest, she'd actually expected at least her mother to know something.

" _Still, if she's got access to equipment and a base, maybe you could lend her a hand,"_ Jack suggested, looking excited again. _"I'd love to meet this person, honestly. It'd be great to have someone new I could blather on about ghosts to."_

"Of course," Dani said, smirking.

" _Anyway, good luck at your new town and your new life, Dani,"_ Jack told her sincerely. _"We won't be in space forever, so keep a stiff upper lip. I know you'll do all of us proud, especially your brother."_

Dani lowered her head slightly, feeling herself blush from the unexpected praise.

" _See you later, Dani-kins!"_

The video ended with those parting words. Dani continued smiling at the screen for a moment while the sensation of sleep poured slowly over her. Yawning, she closed the video file and shut her computer down, then stood up to head back to bed. Before her eyes closed, she made a mental note to send a response video soon.

When Dani fell asleep, there were no more dreams for her.

At least, none that she remembered by the following morning light.

Dexter narrowed his eyes in concentration, focusing completely on the task at hand.

Mrs. Ellery taught Chemistry in the science lab, and had assigned them all the task of separating carbon molecules with chunks of sulfur and acidic compounds. This was a process that most students could follow easily enough, especially considering Mrs. Ellery had written the formula out on the chalkboard for them at the beginning of class.

Unfortunately, Dexter shared the class with Nick Barkley and Sloane Elmers. The duo were some of the lowest common denominators on the student IQ pole, not that anyone at Arkham cared regardless. The two blundering football players were primarily kept around so the school could maintain a higher winning average. Teachers at Arkham often tuned them out or pretended they weren't in class, which the two weren't half the time.

Nick and Sloane had arrived for class that day, however, much to the surprise of a number of Dexter's classmates. Dexter supposed that, in hindsight, the two had been intrigued by the possibility of something blowing up. He recalled one of the more scientifically-minded of his peers mentioning in their presence that sulfur was explosive when enough was mixed with water.

Unfortunately, it hadn't taken very long for Nick and Sloane to get bored. Once Mrs. Ellery had explained the procedure and given word for the class to pair up together, the two hefty-sized boys had taken to playing with the gas valves. Dexter hadn't been paying much attention, but this was most likely how the fire broke out.

Now, armed with steel nerves and a fire extinguisher, Dexter took aim and prepared to snuff the flames out with extinguishing foam. He was hoping this act won him a few cool points, if nothing else.

Unfortunately, Dexter hadn't noticed how he'd pointed the nozzle of the extinguisher wrong. Instead of shooting straight ahead, foam blasted up and right into Dexter's face.

"Shit!" he tried to cry out, but owing to the money shot he'd just received, all that anyone heard was–"SSHIIFFFPPTT!"

In spite of the present danger, a number of Dexter's classmates still found the time to point and laugh as they were fleeing for their lives. Dexter shook their laughter and the foam off and tried again. Or rather, he would have, if Mrs. Ellery hadn't snatched the extinguisher out of his hands.

"Go!" she ordered.

Dexter opened his mouth to explain to the chemistry teacher that he had the situation well in hand. Mrs. Ellery wasn't paying him any mind, however, for she had already pointed the device properly and began firing foam into the flames. The fire was out in seconds, leaving Dexter standing there with the remains of foam stuck in his long, curly hair, feeling slightly mollified.

"Um, right," he said as Mrs. Ellery lowered the extinguisher. "Well, I still maintain that my method had a certain... Oof!"

Dexter was cut off by Mrs. Ellery, who thrust the extinguisher into his arms. The heavy item clanged noisily against his ribs, bruising them a bit.

"I am going to wring both of their necks," Mrs. Ellery swore, hurrying over to turn the gas valves off. "They have really done it this time. Principal Peaslee is going to get an earful from me!"

Dexter held back while Mrs. Ellery finished checking to make sure none of the other gas valves had been tampered with. Without a word, she brushed past him, leaving Dexter behind still clutching the fire extinguisher in his arms. Realizing that he was now alone, Dexter moved to set the extinguisher down on one of the nearby dissection tables when something caught his eye.

There were sparks coming out from underneath the table where Nick and Sloane had been sitting. He'd just seen Mrs. Ellery turn the gas valves off, so there was little danger of another fire starting. Feeling curious, though, Dexter walked over and knelt down under the table to take a look. After a moment, he deduced that either Nick or Sloane had cut one of the wires running along underneath the work station they'd been at. The spark from the live wire had ignited the gas from the valve.

Of course, this meant that Nick and Sloane had set the fire on purpose, but that hardly came as a shock. Dexter was getting to his feet when one of the sparks from the wire hit his arm. He reasoned that it would be better to shut off the power to this side of the room using the emergency switches at the end of the room. Even if Mrs. Ellery weren't thrilled with the idea, it was preferable to the whole school burning down.

Dexter realized what he'd just thought, but figured he should do it anyway.

However, several things happened after he had reached the set of kill switches at the back of the room. First, Dexter heard his cell phone go off. Absent-mindedly, he pulled the device out and saw that it was Alice texting him. The second thing that occurred was Dexter coming to understand that there was some sort of short in the wiring itself. Nick and Sloane's tampering with the wiring had evidently triggered it.

Dexter knew all of this because the moment he threw the switch, the severed wire underneath the table let out a loud 'pop', sending sparks everywhere. Startled, Dexter dropped his phone, which landed right on one of the numerous plugs that were scattered all over the floor. There was a second flare of sparks from the plug that his phone landed on, followed by more all over the room.

When things had calmed down a little, Dexter shook his head and surveyed for any damage, hoping he could still blame this mess on Nick and Sloane, especially if Mrs. Ellery came back before he had time to vacate.

"I was just sitting quietly," Dexter rehearsed, moving to collect his phone, "no, wait. I was setting the extinguisher down when sparks went everywhere!"

As Dexter bent down to pick up his phone, a second wave of sparks burst out of the plug where his phone had landed.

"Ow!" he cried out, jerking his hand back. "Like that! What the hell is wrong with the wiring in this place?"

"Lowest bidder," came the answer. "Principal Peaslee wanted a bigger budget for the lacrosse and swim teams."

Dexter looked up and saw Alice leaning halfway in through the door to the science lab.

"You know how heated things get around here whenever the school goes up against Innsmouth Academy."

"Very true," said Dexter, tentatively picking his cell phone up where there were no more signs of sparks from the plugs.

"So what happened?" Alice asked, coming into the room. "Someone told me there was a fire, but none of them had time to stop and give me details. They were too busy running for the exit."

"What for?" Dexter wondered, checking his phone over for damage while Alice walked toward him. "The fire wasn't that bad."

"Like people in this place would waste a chance to vacate the building," Alice pointed out, stubbing her toe over one of the plugs as she reached Dexter. "Ouch! What the–? Why are there so many damn plugs in this room?"

"This used to be the computer lab," Dexter explained.

"Oh, right," replied Alice nonchalantly. "So what's with the fire? Did you start it? And you'd better not have broken your cell phone. The Professor will have a fit."

"I didn't break it," Dexter insisted, hoping that was the case. "And I didn't start a fire either. It was Nick and Sloane. They were messing with the gas valves and cut one of the wires running under the work stations."

Alice rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Why those two weren't expelled during their first attempt through junior year is a mystery I don't think even Professor Wraitheon could solve," she grumbled.

"I blame politics," Dexter stated. "It's a scientific fact."

"No, it isn't," Alice retorted, motioning for Dexter to follow her. "It's just bad policy, that's all. Anyway, let's go. If we don't hurry to lunch, Randy will have that ghost girl sitting at our table, and we'll have to spend the whole lunch period with her."

Dexter thought about this as Alice led him out the door of the science lab.

"Wait, that's a bad thing?"

The lunchroom was packed by the time Dexter and Alice arrived. Thanks to her little detour, Alice was late getting there, something she reminded Dexter a grand total of three times by the point they were through the line. Dexter spotted Randy sitting next to Dani at their usual spot over the heads of the surrounding crowd. Using his slender figure, he squeezed through the mass of bodies, then vaulted over the table upon arriving and plopped down in the only vacant seat on Dani's right.

Abruptly, Dani shivered as though stricken by a gust of cold air. A wisp of fog drifted out of her mouth, and Dani looked around wildly for a moment, as if startled by something. Randy didn't seem to notice, as he was momentarily distracted from the ghost girl by Dexter's antics. The moment Randy could tear his eyes away, though, the boy turned his attention back toward Dani. Alice scowled at this as she marched up to the three empty seats across from where Dani, Randy, and Dexter sat. Her fingers were clutching her tray hard enough to dent the plastic. Still, she bit down on her tongue and sat down in the middle chair.

Randy, meanwhile, noticed that Dexter was the only one who didn't have a tray of food. Without a word, the young man picked an apple up and brushed his dreadlocks out of his eyes before pushing the remains of the tray around Dani's to rest in front of Dexter. Dexter smiled and gave Randy a very grateful nod before attacking the food like it had insulted his family's honor.

Dani, meanwhile, was considering the exchange that had just taken place. Dexter pretended that nothing out of the ordinary had just happened, which was sadly true for him. The long-haired youth spotted Alice passing a pudding cup and chicken leg over to Randy on a napkin. Feeling less guilty now, Dexter finished inhaling his meal. It felt good to finally drown out the empty growling of his stomach. That had been going on since he'd left his parents' house this morning.

Math had been especially embarrassing to sit through.

"So," a slightly uncomfortable Dani said, avoiding Dexter and the way he ate, "anyone else notice all the fliers? Or is it just something that happens around here?"

There were, in fact, fliers all over the place, and quite a few more other paraphernalia. The cafeteria was draped with banners, posters, fliers, and in one corner out of the way, a group of cheerleaders doing cheers.

"S'time for the ASB president election," Dexter heard Randy begin explaining.

Quickly, Dexter choked down the food in his mouth and raised his hand up high, as though he were vying for a teacher's attention, which he often did unsuccessfully.

"It's the week that students get the chance to run for Associated Student Body president," Dexter elaborated, before taking a long chug from Randy's carton of chocolate milk to avoid gagging.

Dani, meanwhile, watched as Dexter gulped down two-thirds of the carton's contents.

"Okay," she said slowly, "I guess."

"Some of us have better things to do with ourselves, though," Alice stated in a pointed manner. "Like checking up on really good friends we've known for a long time. After hearing about how there was a fire in the room where they have class."

Dani looked a bit taken back by this.

"There was a fire?" she wondered.

"Yes, there was!" Alice bit back angrily as Dexter set the milk carton down with force.

"Nothing to worry about," Dexter assured her. "It was just some guys screwing around in Chemistry. I helped put out the flames, though." 

"Looked more like you were about to electrocute yourself when I got there," Alice retorted, adding a disdainful snort for effect.

Dexter felt his chest swell–along with other parts of his body–when Dani turned back to him and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Fine," he assured her, which was difficult as he'd just stuffed part of the chicken leg on Randy's tray into his mouth.

Dani nodded, deciding it would be better to let Dexter eat and not carrying on a conversation with him for the time being.

"So, what's the deal with the elections being held this late in the semester?" she asked, speaking specifically to Randy, and also Alice. "Don't most schools have them at the start of the year?"

"Peaslee's the one who usually stalls," Randy told her.

"He likes to tell people that it's important to give everyone a fair chance at running for ASB president," Alice elaborated, cutting a sharp look across at Randy. "Really, it's all just a farce. Only the junior and senior classes stand a chance at winning."

"S'true," Randy agreed, smiling as he looked at Dani's eyes. "Ain't never been a freshman ASB president at Arkham, least according to rumor."

Dexter, at long last, finished his chicken and tossed the bone back onto the tray, happy to finally contribute again. The look that Randy was giving Dani made him worried.

"There was Allen Gates," he said definitively.

No one else seemed to know what Dexter was talking about. All three of his friends turned to look at him questioningly.

"Who?" Dani finally asked.

"Allen Gates," Dexter repeated. "He was a student at Arkham back in the 90s."

"That narrows it down," Alice retorted.

"N' he was ASB prez?" Randy asked. "Seems unreal."

"Oh, no," Dexter insisted, hoping he sounded as confident to the others as he did to his own ears. "It's quite a story. There was this tech geek who ran the school's computer club. He decided to run for ASB president in his freshman year, and succeeded."

Dani and the others waited expectantly, but the anticipation fizzled very quickly.

"That's it?" Alice wondered.

"Most of it," Dexter admitted, thinking he should have reconsidered his pitch. "Of course, there's the way he died right after winning the election."

"Okay, you have our attention again," Dani declared, smirking.

"Speak for yourself," Alice grumbled.

"Go on," Randy encouraged. "What happened?"

Dexter took a deep breath and puffed out his chest, which unfortunately just drew attention to the fact that there wasn't much of one there to see.

"The same day they announced Gates was the winner," Dexter explained, leaning forward and speaking in a hushed tone for dramatic affect, "he died."

Randy looked impressed, while Alice just rolled her eyes.

"I hadn't realized the competition back then was so stiff," said Alice sarcastically.

"It wasn't," Dexter insisted. "Well, not usually anyway. Seems the guy Gates beat was the school quarterback, a real sore loser. Gates was in the computer room after school wrapping up some things when the quarterback threw a wasp's nest through the window. Gates was allergic, and died before he could be rushed to the hospital."

"Yeesh!" Dani groaned, looking horrified. "Competition _was_ stiff back then!"

"Great story," Alice said nonchalantly as she chewed on a bite of corn. "But I think it could've used a guy with a hook for a hand. Maybe some teenagers making out in a car for effect."

Dexter frowned at her.

"It's the truth," he insisted.

"Well, yeah," Alice replied in a tone that clearly stated she didn't believe him. "But you know our generation. If it doesn't have blood, boobs, and some explosions, nobody's buying a ticket."

"Same way last generation was," Randy pointed out. "An' the one b'fore that."

"So, what happened afterward?" Dani was looking at Dexter, clearly interested in more of the story. "Does this guy's ghost haunt the classroom or something?"

"Why?" Alice interjected coldly. "Need a date for this weekend?"

Randy silenced Alice with a kick to the leg, which set Alice off, resulting in a kicking brawl underneath the table. Dani watched the two, while Dexter, sad that he'd lost Dani's attention, set about reclaiming it.

"Actually," Dexter began, giving Dani a light tap on the arm when his words alone weren't enough, "nobody's seen a ghost in that classroom, but we could go and check together, if you want. Before lunch ends."

"Ow! That was my toe!" Alice cried out, taking a swing at Randy over the table. "It had just healed from when I kicked a locker! I mean–"

Alice was cut off by a teacher seizing her by the shoulder.

"I think we should definitely go check," Dani told a delighted Dexter.

"Same here," said Randy, getting up.

Dexter didn't have anything to add. Instead, he gobbled up the last bit of food on Randy's tray and passed the plastic cafeteria plate over to his friend to dispose of. 

"Take care of that," Dexter said, giving Randy a meaningful wink. "We'll be waiting for you in the Chemistry lab. Alone!"

"Not for long, tho," Randy grumbled, watching furiously as Dani stood up.

Dexter was rounding the table to stand by Dani, which caused another wisp of cold breath to burst forth between her lips. Dani again jerked around, like she was expecting an attack. Alice watched, confused by the girl's erratic behavior.

"What's with the cold breath?" she wondered, giving Dani a harsh look. "Have you got a case of the chills, or something?"

"Something like that," Dani muttered, not giving Alice much attention as she scanned the faces in the cafeteria. "Guess not, though."

Dexter waved goodbye to Randy and Alice, who had turned around in her seat in order to explain herself to an unconvinced teacher. Keeping his steps in time with Dani, which wasn't easy given the differences in their height, Dexter led her out of the cafeteria and down the hall to where the Chemistry lab was located.

"Have you ever encountered a ghost at school before?" a intrigued Dexter asked, hoping to keep the conversation flowing. "Like, in the Chemistry lab, for instance?"

"I've never been there," Dani replied, her thoughts less on Dexter at the moment. "I didn't take Chemistry this year."

"Oh," replied Dexter. "Then, how do you know which way to go?"

Dani stopped short, which forced Dexter to do the same, only he managed the maneuver with far less grace.

"I didn't," Dani explained, while Dexter struggled to regain his composure after having nearly slipped and fallen on his face. "I was following you."

"Right, right," Dexter said, straightening up. "So, anyway... are you interested in running for ASB president?"

Dani laughed, and the sound felt odd echoing off the empty hallway. Most of the student body was in the cafeteria at the moment, so the place was deserted. Dexter hoped that Dani's laughter wasn't aimed at him. It was never a good sign when girls laughed at him this early on, and when he hadn't done something he felt warranted it.

"Why would I want to be ASB president?" Dani wondered. "What could I possibly get from it?"

Dexter mused on the question for a moment before answering.

"Fame," Dexter replied, counting the list of reasons off on each finger. "Money... possibly. The chance to get even with jocks who've made your life a living hell. The respect of your parents. The adoration of your fellow students. The power to make others suffer..."

"That's... oddly specific," Dani said, watching Dexter closely now with a slightly unsettled face. "You've put more thought into this than I expected."

"What?" Dexter asked, snapping out of his daydream. "Um, never mind."

Dani opened her mouth to, in Dexter's mind, ask him if they were still going to the Chemistry lab. That, or to pledge her undying loyalty to him. In Dexter's mind, one was more likely than the other. However, Dani's cell phone went off, the sound cutting her off before she could speak and make all of Dexter's dreams come true.

"That's weird," Dani said, staring at her phone's screen. "I got a text message, but I don't recognize the number."

"Oh, lemme see!" Dexter said excitedly, leaning forward to peek at Dani's phone. "Huh, that's my phone number."

"What?" Dani asked.

In reply, Dexter reached into his pocket to fish out his own phone. With a few short punches, he accessed the storage folder where his personal information was kept, including the phone's number.

"See for yourself," he said, holding the phone up for Dani to see. "There's my number right there."

"I see," Dani said, which she did. "That is your number. It also says here that you are a Capricorn, you work out on weekends, and consider yourself to be a connoisseur of classic erotic literature."

Turning beat red, Dexter yanked his phone back out of Dani's line of sight.

"That was Randy," he lied. "He must've been messing with my phone again, knowing that I would eventually show it to you for... professional reasons."

Dexter quickly made a few adjustments to his personal info before closing the screen.

"Anyway," he went on, putting the phone back in his pocket, "that's real strange. You were watching me the whole time, and I never sent any–"

Dexter stopped as the sound of a door slamming echoed down the hall from the far end where they'd walked from. Both Dani and Dexter turned to find a very irate-looking Randy headed their way.

"What's the big idea?" Randy yelled.

Dexter took a step away from Dani reflexively.

"Nothing!" he insisted nervously. "Absolutely nothing! We were just standing here talking to each other. Nothing has happened."

"Nothing except Dexter's phone acting all weird," Dani said, still holding on to hers and holding it up for Randy to see. "I got a text message from his number. Only thing is, he never sent me one."

Randy frowned as he came to a stop beside Dani.

"You too?" Randy wondered. "Everybody inna cafeteria jus' had their cells go off at th' same dang time. All at once."

Dexter was frowning hard now, though he looked genuinely confused by this bit of information.

"Everybody?" he asked. "Even you and Alice?"

Randy fished out his own phone to hold up so that Dexter could see.

"Alice 'n me both," Randy verified. "Same text too. 'Dexter Ward for President'."

"Mine says the same thing," Dani revealed, holding her own phone up for their benefit. "I wonder who could have sent it."

"It wasn't me," Dexter swore, holding a hand up. "Though, somebody apparently does want me for ASB president, which I have to say is a very smart call!"

Randy and Dani both rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"Dexter for President," Dexter said aloud, mulling the words over to himself. "Dexter Ward for President. Charles Dexter Ward for President! My fellow... alumni? Students? Classmates?"

Dexter had tilted his head up toward the ceiling in thought, but now turned back toward Dani and Randy.

"Which sounds better?" he asked. "Be honest."

In answer, both of them turned and walked away together back toward the cafeteria.

"Hey, don't leave yet!" Dexter called out, racing after them. "I need you both to help me with my campaign. Running for public office is a lot of work, you know."

By the end of the day, Dexter had discovered that the text message had been received by anyone connected with Arkham High. Everybody from the faculty staff down to the janitors had gotten the 'Dexter Ward for President' message at the same time.

Some of the students at Arkham were looking at the whole thing like it was a big prank. Dexter had to admit, it had the styling of one. Principal Peaslee had dragged Dexter out of his fifth period to speak with him.

"I assure you, Mister, ah... Ward," Peaslee said, hoping to look intimidating, "that the school does not tolerate, ah... spam messages. Especially now of all, ah... times."

Dexter thought that Principal Peaslee was doing a fairly good impersonation of a sweaty pig.

"Look, the message had my number on it," Dexter began, hoping he could get the corpulent man to believe him. "I don't deny that, but I never sent it. I was with someone when everybody got it, and she can testify that I wasn't the one who mailed it to the whole school."

"You were with somebody?" Principal Peaslee asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "During lunch? With, ah... friends?"

"Danielle Kraven," Dexter answered, trying to ignore the insult. "She was with me in the hallway on the first floor. Her phone went off while we were talking, and I didn't have mine out."

"Who?" Principal Peaslee wondered, before realization dawned on him. "Ah, the... ah, new girl, yes?"

Dexter rather enjoyed the sudden, nervous look coming over Principal Peaslee's face. Clearly, the man hadn't expected Dexter to be able to prove his innocence.

"That, ah... doesn't necessarily prove anything," Peaslee added unexpectedly, catching Dexter by surprise. "With phones these days, you could have, ah... easily programmed your phone."

"What?" Dexter shot back incredulously. "Even if I sent it as an e-mail, it would have a time stamp on it. Look, you have no proof that it was me. And I have an eyewitness who can back up my story. Do you really want to drag the son of a local minister into a scandal?"

Dexter waited a moment to let the idea build up in Peaslee's head before he continued.

"Especially if it wasn't true," he finished, letting the bomb drop.

Principal Peaslee scowled, yet Dexter felt that the victory was his. When the principal said nothing, Dexter slowly rose up out of his seat.

"Don't get me wrong," Dexter added while heading for the door. "Being ASB president does sound cool. I'd love to know who set me up for it. I really hope she's hot, and female."

Principal Peaslee regained some of his composure as Dexter prepared to exit the room.

"That seems highly unlikely," he called out before Dexter could shut the door behind himself. "You getting voted president or the perpetrator being an attractive female looking to catch your eye. In all honestly, Mr. Ward, I think you've been made the victim of a rather elaborate hoax."

That stung Dexter's ego, but not nearly so much as what Principal Peaslee said next.

"And I hardly think the local community would call your father the minister of much. Certainly not that tent full of crackpots he runs."

Dexter scowled, and for a moment, deliberated on the sort of retort he should fire back. Looking over his shoulder, Dexter saw the patient look on the principal's face. The old man was sitting behind his desk, waiting for Dexter to retaliate in some way. Gripping the door knob with impotent rage, Dexter slowly exited the room, closing the door behind himself as gently as his temperament would allow for.

A feeling of helplessness hounded his steps all the way back to class, and for the rest of the afternoon. The wads of balled-up notebook paper being launched at the back of his head didn't help improve his mentality. By the last bell, Dexter was in sour spirits. Shaking some of the cloud hanging around him off, he set out to find Alice and the others, hoping they could help improve his mood.

"Hoss, you might be wantin' to go elsewhere," Randy warned him the instant they bumped into each other. "Alice gave me forewarnin' for you. Somma th' senior class members 're lookin' to see if they can clog one o' the toilets with your hair."

"Unsurprising," Dexter moped, feeling even lower now. "Do I have any spitwads still stuck back there? I got pelted with a lot of them."

Dexter turned around so Randy could have a look. Sure enough, he felt his friend pluck away at the bits. Evidently, Dexter had missed quite a few.

"Come on," Randy advised once he had finished. "Lets get ourselves outta here b'fore one o' the football players comes 'round with a razor."

Dexter didn't argue. Along the way out through one of the outer corridors, the duo ran into Dani, who expelled a breath of cold air in Dexter's direction.

"Ugh!" Dani groaned, clutching her stomach as she shivered. "Sorry, guys. I don't know what's wrong with my ghost sense."

"Ghost sense?" Dexter asked, intrigued. "You have a ghost sense. "Wait, did you know about her having a ghost sense?"

Dexter spoke this last bit at Randy, who groaned inwardly.

"She might've mentioned it," he began, earning himself a glare from Dexter.

"It only goes off when there's a ghost nearby," Dani explained, following along as Randy began walking on through the hall with Dexter in tow, still glaring. "Or, it's supposed to only go off because of a ghost. Today, it's been firing off at random."

"S' 'ere a specialist you can see?" Randy asked, curiously. "Like a doc 'r somethin'?"

"Not here in Kingsport Falls," Dani replied, looking very worried momentarily.

"I..." Dexter started to say, only to get cut off by a loose flier floating down from the ceiling and smacking him in the face.

"Been trippin' all over tha' shit today," Randy grumbled, while Dexter struggled with the flier, which evidently had wet glue covered on the backside.

"People at this place take things way too seriously," Dani said emphatically as they were reaching the side exit together, noticing the banners and posters that had been stuck everywhere. "I've never seen a school take something as simple as an election this far."

"It's a popularity contest," Dexter said, happy to have something to talk with Dani about. "The hierarchy must be maintained. Even Principal Peaslee thinks so."

"He's one o' those, 'Misery Builds Character' types," Randy added. "Old school shit."

"I'm getting that," Dani said as they burst through the side exit together.

The three walked out into the sunlight. Dexter shielded his eyes for a moment against the sun's glare. A figure stood leaning against one of the cars parked along the side of the building. When Dexter withdrew his hand, he saw that it was Alice.

"I figured you boys would come out through this way," she said, scowling briefly at the sight of Dani, then ignoring her altogether.

"We're predictable that way," Dexter said, grinning.

"This is getting out of hand, Dexter," Alice warned, pushing herself off the car to walk in front of their path. "The seniors have been going nuts. The juniors are calling for a presidential impeachment before elections have even been finalized."

"No one in this school seems to understand how politics work," Dani noted.

"Like anyone asked you," Alice replied in a calm, if dismissive, tone. "The point is, this has gone on far enough. Dexter, you didn't even want to be president."

"No," admitted Dexter, shoving both hands into his jeans pockets. "I didn't, but that was before I realized how much being president meant to me."

"What does being president mean to you?" Dani asked.

"I been wonderin' that m'self," Randy added, speaking before Alice could insult Dani again, though Dani herself appeared nonplussed about the whole thing at the moment.

"That's easy," Dexter answered, striking a very unnecessary pose in front of his friends. "Having the power to do whatever I want!"

Each member of the group who wasn't Dexter stared.

"Wonderful," Alice said. "That could be your campaign slogan."

"Methinks you be needin' to rethink your approach, Hoss," Randy advised, looking very worried suddenly.

"I'd still love to know who set this whole thing up in the first place," Dani mused. "Any idea on who set up that spam text, Dexter?"

Randy gave Dani a light tap on the shoulder, signaling for her to be quiet. Dani gave him a look in response, but then went still when she saw the worried look on Randy's face. Randy was looking past Dexter at two approaching figures. Dani suddenly had a very good idea as to who they were, even though she didn't recognize them. No matter what the school, Dani recognized bullies when she saw them. Every school had them, and they seemed to move with the exact same cocky swagger.

"Been lookin' for you, Ward," said the first, a large male with broad shoulders and a slight gut. "Seems people've been sayin' you're runnin' for school prez or somethin'."

"Yeah," concurred the second, another young man, shorter, but more classically fit like a jock. "What up with that, Ward? Nobody likes losers runnin' the joint. It'll stink the place up worse than it already does."

"They're half-right," Alice admitted, "and saying that makes me feel very, very dirty."

Dexter, meanwhile, had been facing his friends ever since he'd struck his pose. Upon hearing the duo's voice, he whirled around and went pale. Though as tall as the lumbering golem casting a very long shadow toward the others, Dexter was far scrawnier.

"Biff! Johnson! Good to see you guys!" Dexter was putting on a fair imitation of being glad to see them, which gave away to everyone with more than two brain cells that he was doomed. "I bet you've been hearing those silly little rumors going around about how I was running for ASB president. See, the thing is, somebody–"

"Shut it, Ward!" The bigger of the two, whichever one he was, reached forward to grab the front of Dexter's shirt. "We're gonna–"

The thick lumbering goof suddenly went still, his face slackening. Dexter watched in confusion as the man about to bring about his inevitable demise released him, then turned toward his partner in crime. To the utter shock of everyone present, he reached out and seized the jock with both arms, yanking him up to place the biggest wet one on his mouth Arkham High had seen in years.

Dexter stared, feeling nauseous.

"What jus' happened?" Randy wondered, bewildered.

"Oh my god," Alice gasped, utterly thrilled. "Where's my phone? I have got to get a video of this!"

The jock, meanwhile, managed to push the bigger male off of him, though it took almost a minute of resisting before he succeeded.

"Dude, what the hell?" he cried out, wiping at his mouth.

"I..." the bigger one stammered. "I don't even..."

The smaller jock suddenly went still, the same way his friend had before. With glazed eyes, he looked longingly up at the man he'd been forcibly locking lips with seconds prior.

"It doesn't matter," he replied in a soft, slightly feminine voice. "I've always loved you, Biff. You mean the world to me. You complete me!"

"Um, aren't _you_ supposed to be Biff?" the bigger one questioned as the young man who was actually called Biff seized him by the shirt.

"It doesn't matter," Biff told a very confused Johnson, using Johnson's height to pull himself up higher toward his mouth. "Kiss me, you fool!"

Everyone stared. Dexter made a face. Randy scratched his head, trying to work out what he was seeing. Alice was still recording everything on her phone.

"This is going to make the best Internet posting in history," Alice squeed.

Dani, meanwhile, popped up off to the side from behind a nearby car. Randy spotted her walking toward them, and managed to make a face that was even more confused than before.

"Where'd you go?" he wondered. "You just missed... well?"

Randy pointed at the duo, who were still making out, much to Dexter's revulsion.

"I didn't miss anything," Dani replied, smiling to herself. "Why don't we go somewhere else and leave the new couple alone to sort out their feelings."

No one could come up with a reasonable argument against Dani's suggestion, except for Alice, who wasn't finished filming. Randy took Alice by the arm and gently guided her away while Dexter broke into a run.

"You had summin' to do wit' dat?" Randy asked, guessing at the truth.

"A little bit," Dani teased, laughing as the four of them left the campus together. "It's called 'overshadowing'. Basically, I take possession of people in ghost form."

"Wonderful," Alice grumbled, sticking her phone back into her suit pocket. "Another ghost power. How novel."

"Wait, you can really do that?" Dexter asked Dani, looking back over his shoulder from up ahead.

Dexter had stopped running, and was merely walking faster than they were now. Upon hearing Dani's explanation, his face twisted into a grin.

"Dani," he said, stopping in his tracks and raising both arms up in an exuberant fashion. "How'd you like to do me a huge favor?"

"I won't overshadow people so that you can win an election," said Dani immediately, stifling what looked like a cough as she walked briskly past Dexter. "I've seen where that road leads."

"So the Ghost Girl has some morals," Alice muttered. "The world never ceases to amaze me."

"Not for long," Dexter called out, racing after Dani desperately. "Just for a couple of minutes. Long enough for them to fill out a ballet."

"Nobody uses ballets at the school, Dexter," Alice informed him, glaring back over her shoulder. "They register their votes online."

"Even better!" Dexter said, still trying to hold up his sinking argument.

"I said, no," Dani stated firmly. "You wanna win a school election? That's fine, even if it's for selfish reasons. I'm not going to stop you from doing that. But I draw the line at letting you abuse my powers for your own personal gain."

"But it's for a good cause!" Dexter insisted, his voice taking on a whining tone now. "Me!"

The others continued walking, ignoring Dexter's pleas, but this was not to last. As one, the group all stopped in a row to reach for their cell phones. Behind them, Dexter did the same thing. He'd received a text message–a second one, in fact, from himself.

"Charles Dexter Ward, President-For-Life!" Dexter read aloud.

There was more.

"Charles Dexter Ward," Dexter read, upon receiving the next text, "Supreme Dictator!"

Dexter raised up and spotted the others, who had their cell phones out and were walking back toward him.

"I swear, I didn't send this," he claimed, holding his own phone up for them to see. "Also, this does not bode well."

"No, it doesn't," Alice said, looking very worried. "And for the record, I believe you."

"M' thinkin' we all do by this point," Randy agreed, giving his own phone a grim look. "Question is, though, whadaya think whoever's doin' this means by it?"

"Nothing good," Alice said thoughtfully, studying her screen as a third message was received. "At the very least, they want to see Dexter get beaten to a pulp. And I seriously doubt our Ghost Girl here can overshadow the entire student body so they won't hunt you down with sticks."

Dexter looked at his phone, reading the third message with a sense of unease building in his stomach.

"Charles Dexter Ward, Candidate for Godhood."

"Yeah," Randy said, frowning hard with displeasure. "That ain't got no unfortunate implications to it."

Things were no better the following week.

On Monday, the entire school received text messages proclaiming feats that Dexter couldn't remember ever doing his whole life. Even he was having trouble believing that such things about him were possible.

"Have you really successfully pleasured the entire pep squad since second grade?" one student asked, stopping him in the hallway on the way to fifth period.

"Or blackmail Congress into giving us longer summer breaks?" a bespectacled girl inquired.

"Or fly to the moon so you could open your own brothel?" a sophomore male pleaded.

"Or invent the hover car?" asked a very attractive senior wearing a tight sweater. "Incidentally, I've wanted to ride in a flying car since I was a kid."

"Um..." Dexter stammered, looking from one expectant face to the next. "Eh, ah... Yes!"

Dexter might have found the stories ludicrous, but he was not one to let an opportunity go to waste.

"Yes, what?" the girl wearing glasses insisted, leaning in closer. "To which question?"

Dexter's face cracked only for a moment.

"Yes," he replied again, before turning and running away.

Tuesday proved to be no more of an improvement. Somehow, a screen saver was uploaded to every computer on Arkham's campus. Periodically, students in the computer labs found themselves subjected to a flash animation cartoon of Dexter scaling Mount Everest while fighting off Atilla the Hun's horde.

"I didn't even know screen savers existed anymore," Dani said, looking at the screen in bemusement.

"S' actually pretty decent," Randy noted. "Th' animation, I mean."

"I think they got my good side," Dexter said, watching himself swing an enormous battle axe at Atilla's neck near the mountain's summit. "But my nose is drawn too big."

Wednesday, Dexter found himself being hauled to Principal Peaslee's office. The school website had been hacked, declaring to the world that voting Dexter ASB president would cure both cancer and HIV.

"I didn't do it!" Dexter swore after Principal Peaslee revealed the situation to him. "I don't know who is doing this, either."

"I'm well aware of that, Mr. Ward," the principal replied disdainfully. "The text messages are one thing, but I highly doubt you are capable of hacking through Arkham High's security parameters. That would require someone with both brains and exceptional skill."

Dexter opened his mouth to protest, thought better of it, and opted to glare at the principal instead.

"I'm actually torn between defending myself against that comment," he informed Peaslee, "and letting it slide, since doing the latter will mean I won't be getting blamed for this."

"Well, yes... ah," Principal Peaslee stammered, "there is an, ah... other concern. See, with the, ah... disturbances, the school board and I agree that it would be best if you, ah... resigned from the running."

Dexter went very quiet, a true note for the history books.

"Do I have to?" he asked at last, sounding a little perplexed. "I mean, nobody else is being made to resign, right? I get that this might've caused problems, but I'm not responsible for it. How is my resigning supposed to make the person responsible stop? They didn't need me to campaign in the first place, and..."

Dexter paused. A thought had just occurred to him, one that explained a whole hell of a lot.

"Didn't you tell me last week that I had no chance whatsoever of winning?" he pressed, which caused Principal Peaslee to begin sweating. "If I still don't, why are you asking me to resign?"

Peaslee went pale as a fish out of water. Each pore in his face began perspiring like it was in a race to see which orifice could dehydrate his body faster.

"Principal Peaslee?" Dexter asked, a smile slowly stretching his face. "How am I doing in the polls? I haven't checked yet."

Thursday seemed to go by without much incident, at least in regards to Dexter's mysterious campaign manager. There were numerous attempts by other candidates and their supporters to inhibit his progress from one class to the other. Dexter found himself facing the prospect of being stuffed into a locker that wasn't even his, forced to endure the world's record for number of swirlies, and being pantsed in front of the entire girls' volleyball team.

"Do you think they've given up?" Dani asked as the trio–sans Alice, who'd declined spending time in Dani's presence–made their way for the side exit.

They'd been avoiding the main doors since the elections began. Dani had come to Dexter's rescue several times, but he was still looking battered.

"Sorry I couldn't get to you in time when the lacrosse team tried to set your clothes on fire," Dani said, noting the scorch marks on the back of Dexter's shirt and lower pants legs. "While you were still wearing them."

"Lucky fo' you, they didn' get th' point o' pointin' the aerosol can away from their faces," said Randy, smirking at the memory. "Maybe I lucked out by not gettin' onna team."

"I dunno," Dexter said, looking a little dazed. "Maybe dropping out would be the best thing after all. The burn marks are telling me that winning the election isn't worth it, but the aches in my groin muscles from the atomic wedge insists that would be the coward's way out."

"You havin' trouble decidin'?" Randy asked, surprised.

"They both make very persuasive arguments," Dexter informed his friend, turning toward Randy as he limped out through the side exit alongside Randy and Dani.

Alice was standing in the middle of the parking lot, along with a number of other students. Somehow, she'd beaten them outside, though that question stalled behind why she was watching the sky. The answer became obvious when the three of them craned their necks to stare at the same spot.

"Dexter Ward for President."

A sky-writing plane was circling around to cross the second 'T'. Down below, several people pointed toward it, as though they'd never seen writing in the sky before.

"It looks like the pilot wrote it in calligraphy," Dani said, shielding her eyes from the sun. "I guess Dexter's sponsor must've sprung for the extra flair."

Friday came, meaning that the election booths were open online for students to register who they felt best represented Arkham High and the student body as a whole. Candidates for the position spent periods between classes and during study halls passing out fliers, hanging up posters, pinning buttons onto people, and exposing as much flesh as the school dress code would allow.

"At least this farce will be over soon," Alice grumbled seconds before a very aggressive pep squad member attempted to pin a button on her shirt without asking first.

Alice sent the girl racing away in the opposite direction, bawling her eyes out, with a few well-placed words.

"That made me feel a little better," she admitted, watching the cheerleader's retreat. "Do you honestly think Dexter has a chance at this?"

"'fore today," Randy said, looking around at the hallway walls covered with posters and fliers, "I'd 've said not a chance. Strange things've been happenin' in our lives lately, tho."

"There is that," Alice acknowledged. "Speaking of, do you think the Ghost Girl is going to give Dexter a hand like he asked?"

"Nah," Randy replied, grinning a little. "Dani ain't like that. I keep tellin' ya, but you won' give the girl a chance."

Alice opened her mouth to fire off a retort, but a loud squawk came from overhead. The PA system squealed on, broadcasting Principal Peaslee's voice to the students like some particularly sub-par and petty, stammering deity.

"Is this on? Ah, attention students. The polls will close at, ah... lunch period. Votes will be tallied and the results, ah... announced in assembly at end of the day. That is, ah... all. Thank you."

"Well," Randy said, once the PA system had squawked itself off, dismissing the droning voice of their illustrious principal. "One way 're nuther, this'll be over soon."

"Thank goodness," Alice stated flatly as another student attempted to hand her a flier, only to find themselves on the receiving end of the mother of all death glares.

"Though," she added as the student recoiled, "some parts of this have been surprisingly fun."

"I noticed," Randy said, looking back behind him at the quivering young man.

Dexter had been avoiding classes all day long. A number of them contained freshman supporters of the upperclassmen–mostly those hoping to win favors by making his life hell. He'd spent the morning lurking in restrooms between bells, then cautiously walking the hallways. To his surprise, people were speaking to him, and not just so they could hurl insults.

It came as quite a shock when a number of reasonably attractive girls asked if he would take a selfie with them. This set off a chain reaction, culminating in a line of people wanting a photo with him. Principal Peaslee eventually arrived with security to break up the fun, which was his sole mission in life, but it was too late to dampen Dexter's mood much. He spent the rest of the morning walking with a spring in his step, and even felt good enough to risk making an appearance in the cafeteria during lunch.

This proved to be a mistake, as Dexter encountered several basketball players on the way. All of them were his height, but they each had more muscle than him.

"Guys," Dexter tried weakly, recognizing impending doom when it glared at him. "Can't we settle things peacefully? You know, like Gandhi?"

"Who?" one of the basketball players asked

"Gandhi's dead," the player next to him informed, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "They shot him while he was on his way to prayer."

"You... you know about Gandhi," Dexter said, blinking in surprise as he backed away slowly. "That's... awesome! A bit of a shocker, but still awesome all the same. Say, whadaya say we all honor Gandhi now with a moment of silent prayer? I'm an atheist, but they say you should try everything at least once."

"Get 'im!" someone from the approaching line of basketball players cried out.

"Oh, crap," Dexter grumbled, turning to run.

Dexter did not get far. Five or six pairs of hands–he wasn't able to keep track–seized Dexter's limbs and held him fast. Dexter debating calling for help, wondering what it would cost him in the polls to be seen like this. Before he could make an executive decision, though, one of the basketball players let out a yelp of pain.

"The hell?" another cried out, releasing Dexter.

Dexter seized the opportunity to free himself, using his slender form to worm his way out from their surrounding grasps.

"What'd you let 'im go for?" presumably the leader of the group shouted angrily.

"Something shocked me," the protesting player insisted, holding both hands out in defense of his actions.

"Same here," said another. "Felt like a jolt went through my whole body."

Dexter bolted for the doors, heading in the direction of the cafeteria. He reasoned that a crowded public place full of witnesses and school faculty would be safe. This proved correct, up to a point. Dexter spotted Alice, Dani, and Randy sitting in a different location than usual and made tracks for them. Along the way, several students took the opportunity to elbow, trip, or shoulder-bump him.

"Hey, guys!" Dexter greeted upon arriving, rubbing his many bruises as he took the seat next to Dani. "Any new threats on my life while I was gone?"

"Half the school is rooting for you," Dani informed him, noticing the places where Dexter was hurt. "The other half is crying out for your blood. This place is a madhouse."

"'sactly half," Randy verified. "Split straight down the middle."

"You weren't here for pep squad tryouts," Alice retorted derisively at Dani. "That's where things really get ugly."

"Glad to see my torment has brought the two of you together," Dexter noted, grinning weakly. "Any particular reason why we're sitting over here in the line of fire of the softball team's table?"

"Our place's been jacked," Randy answered, pointing with his fork at the table where they normally conferred. "Seems like the softball team's gotta grudge 'gainst you too."

Several members of the softball team–mostly equipment managers and benched players–had occupied the entire south half of the table where they sat.

"M' guessin' they got somethin' in store for you, Hoss," Randy said pointedly, his gaze focused on the softball team's primary table, however.

"It doesn't take a 4.0 student to work that much out," Alice stated. "Good thing the polls are closing. Hopefully, that'll calm things down a little."

"Not likely," Dexter moaned, letting his forehead connect with the table's surface. "I just had a close encounter with the basketball team on the way here."

"Are you okay?" Dani asked, which got Dexter to grin broadly.

"He's breathing, isn't he?" Alice pointed out snidely.

"I'll live," Dexter told Dani, taking one of her hands into both of his. "Though, if you want to comfort me, I hear nude massages are a terrific way to bring people closer together."

"I could overshadow you and drop you off a cliff," Dani replied, her face sporting an unwavering smile of her own. "That would bring us closer together too. Until you hit the ground, anyway."

Dexter released Dani's hands and placed them on the table in front of him where she could see.

"Noted," he said.

The evil scheme concocted by the softball team never bore fruit. One of the computer instructors strode over between Dexter's seat and the softball team's table. Nothing was said, but Dexter noticed the teacher give the team members a decidedly pointed glare.

"I received a text message," the teacher–whose name Dexter couldn't remember–said quietly while walking by slowly. "It said the softball players were about to cause some kind of disturbance, and that it was related to you."

"Wasn't me," Dexter replied appreciatively, "but thanks."

"Yeah," Dani threw in, smiling. "Thanks for that."

"Any time," the teacher replied, giving them all a brief nod. "Good luck in the polls, by the way, Mr. Ward."

The teacher's encouragement gave Dexter a tiny glimmer of hope, though this was muted greatly by Dexter being unable to remember the man's name. He puzzled over the fact for the rest of the afternoon while dodging murderous looks from the student body. People waved, while others shouted insults. Some shook his hand or hi-fived him, while more threw things. The overall atmosphere of the school was rife with tension for the remainder of the day.

During sixth period, Dexter was called to Principal Peaslee's office again. The principal was standing in the reception area by the metal detectors, and watched Dexter while he entered with a measured look of absolute loathing.

"Congratulations, Mr. Ward," Peaslee said, his voice steady for once. "The results are in, and despite my best efforts and continued protests, it looks as though you are the new Associated Student Body President."

"Awesome!" Dexter said, giving Principal Peaslee two thumbs up in response. "Try not to sound too thrilled for me, though. I'm a humble person at heart."

"No, Mr. Ward," Peaslee retorted. "You are a humble person by way of living conditions. Unfortunately, that is neither here nor there."

Seventh period was canceled so that the assembly could announce the new president before the whole school. Dexter was supposed to give a speech, something he hadn't even thought about. The moment the bell rang, he sought out Dani, Randy, and Alice to give them the good news, and then plead for their help.

"I've never given a speech before in my life," he begged, getting down on his knees before them. "Well, except for that time during middle school for the 4-H club, but most everyone here knows how badly that ended."

"I remember," Randy replied, looking a little shaken by the fact. "You said we shoulda jus' forget the whole thing. Ah's happy to, Hoss."

"Are they sure it's not a mistake?" Alice asked. "I mean, I know this is going to sound really bad of me–"

"Imagine that," Dani muttered.

"–but there wasn't a mistake?" Alice went on, either not hearing or not caring about Dani.

"Principal Peaslee said that they did three recounts," Dexter explained, getting to his feet now that he seemed sure they would help, even though no one had actually agreed. "Not only did I win, but each recount brought my number of votes up higher!"

"That doesn't make a lot of sense," Dani said.

"Who cares!" Dexter cried out, raising both arms up in a victory pose. "I'm the president! And... I have to give a speech in front of the whole school in just a moment, but let's focus on the bigger picture here."

"Yes, you are the president," Alice affirmed. "I wonder if this will be the year that a riot breaks out between the Haves and the Have-Nots."

"Under my benevolent dictatorship," Dexter declared, putting on his best politician voice, "the Have-Nots will be given an equal, if not superior, share of the whole. Oh, speaking of, I gotta call my parents and tell them the news!"

"You just referred to your administration as a 'dictatorship'," Dani pointed out, looking a little grim. "That's not the best way to start things off."

"Why sugar coat it?" Dexter said hurriedly as he fished out his phone. "Lesse, my parents number is... this one, I think."

Dexter touched the screen with his finger tip, and several things happened almost at the same time. Dani's ghost sense flared up again, sending a long trail of cold breath twisting up out of her mouth toward the ceiling. A bright flash illuminated the deserted corridor where they'd taken refuge, coming out of Dexter's phone. Dexter's eyes nearly tripled in size, and his hair flew up due to static discharge like a cartoon character's. The phone, meanwhile, flew out of his hands and hovered in the air above them.

All of them–save for Dexter, who was still in the throes of a mild electric-induced seizure–stared upward in shock as a bolt of electricity embodied with C-base code rose slowly from the phone. From the bright bolt of light and computer code, a figure emerged.

"J00S 4ll /\/\4y b0w b3fo0r3 m3!" the metallic, high-pitched shrill voice wailed as the being owning it took shape. "f0r 3y3 4m Kil0wasp!"

"Oh, god," Alice moaned, locked in the throws of horror. "It's my ultimate nightmare. Leetspeak is coming back!"

The figure was humanoid, with a warped face resembling that of an insect's. Black and gold material covered its body, emblazoned with electronic circuitry on the surface. Small antenna rested atop its head, which shot out sparks between the two points.

"D4 sk00lz 1z na0 /\/\1n3 t00 ru13z!" Kilowasp roared. "pr3p4r3 t00 h4v3 j00r w4rr3nt1z v0id3d!"

"Okay," said Dani, going ghost in a flash of her own. "At least some of the election makes sense now, finally. And I finally get why my ghost sense was acting up. The ghost's been inside Dexter's phone."

"Like we couldn't have figured that out on our own," Alice snapped back.

Dexter, meanwhile, had finally recovered somewhat from the shock he'd received. Hearing Dani's words, he frowned and turned toward her.

"Huh?" he wondered, blinking. "What do you mean?"

"The phone messages, the computer hacking, the sky writing," Alice explained, looking exasperated as she pulled out her own phone. "It never dawned on you that you were being haunted?"

"You got one hella campaign manager, Hoss," said Randy, mimicking Alice. "Time t' put this bug outta business, tho."

"How was I supposed to know I was being haunted?" Dexter protested, looking around. "Also, where's my phone?"

"j00r pun1 d3vic3z 4r3 n00 m4tch 4 m3!" the ghost roared in the same metallic, high tone. "All3n G4t3z 1z n00 m0r3! Th3r3 1z 0nly Kil0wasp! 3y3 na0 ru13z d4 sk00lz. j00 4r3 4llz g0nn4 f4c3 m41 d3t3nt10n f0r j00r r3fuz4l t00 subm1tz!"

Dani prepared to blast Kilowasp with her ghost ray, but as she raised both of her glowing fists, Kilowasp did something unexpected. The electrified ghost went intangible and dove down toward Dexter. Dexter looked up in time for the ghost to rush through him head-first. The two fused together, which surrounded Dexter with a ghostly green glow.

"Oh boy," Dani groaned. "This just got real complicated."

Dexter's eyes flew up, the pupils gone. In place of them, text code scrolled past at high speed. Kilowasp, now having overshadowed Dexter's body, raised his fleshly hands. Electric power flowed between his fingers, jumping from one hand to the other.

"V1ct0ry!" he proclaimed in Kilowasp's voice. "D4 sk00lz 1z n40 m1n3!"

"Not yet it isn't," Dani barked back, charging forward.

"What are you doing?" screamed a frantic Alice as Dani shoved the possessed Dexter against the wall. "You can't hurt him! Dexter's still in there."

"She gotta do sumthin'," a very worried Randy said, looking on helplessly. "Or else we gotta, and I don' wanna think 'bout what the Profs might have ta do t' get that ghost outta Dexter's body."

"The Professor wouldn't hurt Dexter," Alice insist.

"She won't have to," Dani declared, struggling against Kilowasp's greater strength inside Dexter's body. "This just became an inside job."

Dani leaped back and went intangible. Kilowasp stumbled forward, thrown off-balance due to the lack of resistance from Dani's end. Dani used this to her advantage, charging forward again. Her intangible body vanished through Dexter's form, but failed to reappear on the other side.

"What just happened?" Alice asked, still clutching her phone.

"Ah... think Dani's inside 'im," Randy offered, watching as Dexter's form went limp.

Dani tumbled as she fell, unable to discern which direction was up or down. She may as well have been Alice Liddell falling down the rabbit hole. The experience was jarring, to put it mildly. Dani could recall being on carnival rides that made her feel less nauseated.

At long last, she came to a stop, one that left her face-down in the dirt. Dani spat out the gravel that'd somehow gotten caught in her mouth. Though she appeared to suffer no damage from the fall, her body ached. Looking around, she spotted a structure not far away.

The place looked as though it had been bombed. The ceiling was halfway gone, and the rest was decayed from age and misuse. The ground surrounding it was completely barren; no grass or flowers grew anywhere in sight. A lone tree stood wearily off to the side slightly; its branches hanging limply.

Lightning flashed, and when Dani blinked, she spotted the cackling figure of Kilowasp standing atop what she realized was a church.

"It is mine! Finally, mine!"

Dani blinked, sure she had misheard, but Kilowasp spoke again.

"I finally won!" The figure was dressed the same as Kilowasp, but spoke in a much more normal-sounding voice. "They all said it couldn't be done, that I would fail. They tried to stop me by throwing a wasp's nest at me, but I won anyway!"

"So, you really are what's left of Allen Gates after those kids pulled that prank on him?" Dani asked, floating forward toward the front of the church. "What have you done with Dexter?"

Kilowasp's response was to laugh maniacally. Dani waited until her patience ran out, which wasn't very long. As she opened her mouth to cut Kilowasp off, lightning struck again. A figure appeared before the broken, crumbled doors of the church. Dexter, she saw, was suspended in mid-air on some sort of cross.

"Symbolic," she noted, firing her ecto-ray at the ropes holding his limbs in place. "At least he's not nailed there. Who knew Dexter had a spiritual side?"

Dexter fell forward into Dani's waiting arms, shirtless and wearing nothing but torn jeans. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. Upon seeing that it was Dani, a big grin crossed his face, and he pulled her in close with both arms.

"Mm!" Dexter moaned happily. "I always dreamed it would be like this."

Dani removed Dexter's arms from around her, then gave him a good smack to the face so that he would snap out of it. Feeling satisfied, she waited while Dexter shook his head, waking himself up further.

"Ow," Dexter grumbled. "I didn't imagine that part."

"You expected to be possessed by a ghost and I would have to come and save you?" Dani inquired, getting up first.

"Well, no," Dexter began, before pausing. "Actually, that was one fantasy, but the setting isn't what I expected. Where the hell are you?"

"Inside you," Dani explained, helping Dexter up. "Kilowasp overshadowed you, and I had to join him inside your body to save you. Somehow, we all ended up here."

Dexter looked around at the gloomy setting with the dark, stormy clouds hanging overhead.

"I'm sure the school shrink would have plenty to say regarding this," Dexter mused thoughtfully. "Let's keep this just between us, okay?"

In answer, Dani grabbed Dexter by the arm and yanked him out of the way. A blast of lightning from Kilowasp high overhead speared the ground where they'd been standing.

"Fools!" Kilowasp crowed. "You stand no chance against me!"

"He's not speaking in leetspeak anymore," Dexter noted, watching Kilowasp closely from down below. "Alice would be thrilled. Any ideas on how we get him out of here, and out of me?"

Dani didn't get a chance to answer right away. Kilowasp fired more bolts of lightning down at them, cackling all the while.

"That laugh's starting to get annoying," she said, firing her ecto-ray up at him, but missing. "I think I liked it better when I could barely understand him."

"It's easy enough to pick up," Dexter explained, moving out of the way as more bolts struck at him. "I spent a lot of time on message boards as a kid. A better question would be how I'm able to dodge lightning all of a sudden."

Dani continued firing her ecto-ray, blasting so that Kilowasp was too busy avoiding her shots to aim properly.

"This is in your mind, Dexter," Dani explained, her face a mask of concentration. "If you believe you can do it, it'll happen. Kilowasp has taken over your body, but you have control here still."

Dexter rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being roasted by Kilowasp. As it was, he felt his toes sizzle from the blast.

"Feels real enough," he grumbled, getting up. "Though, I guess that's the whole point. So this is the Matrix, and I'm Neo, huh?"

Dani used her powers to form an ecto-shield around them, holding back Kilowasp's lightning bolts.

"Pretty much, I guess," she said, struggling. "Mind giving me a hand now that we've worked that much out?"

"But I don't have my phone..." Dexter started to say, before reality–or a lack thereof, anyway–dawned on him. "I don't _need_ my phone! I can do this all by myself."

Dexter raised both arms in unison toward the darkened sky and howled with all of his might. The sound resembled a platypus with a sore throat, but it did the trick nevertheless. Lightning rained down on him, but Dexter remained fixed to the spot. Dani shielded her eyes from the blinding blast. When she could see again, Dexter stood wearing a modified version of his ecto-armor; a very heavily modified version.

"I have the power!" Dexter roared mightily.

"How not to get laid," Dani muttered quietly to herself while Dexter posed, "by Dexter Ward."

Turrets were mounted on the shoulders. The armor itself made Dexter look five times his normal size. Missile heads and rocket noses jutted out from open hatches. Booster rockets were strapped to the back for flight purposes. It was overall a Liefeldian horror nightmare come to life.

Dani thought that the look suited Dexter, in all the worst ways.

"Say hello to my little friends," Dexter said from somewhere inside all the heavy armor and weapons.

Dani stood back for a moment, watching while Dexter opened fire wildly up in the air, blasting rockets, lasers, and ecto-bullets at Kilowasp. The ghost swung himself around erratically, frantic at the sudden loss of control. Explosions marred the sky, causing the ground to shake. Dani covered her ears, even while understanding that she couldn't actually hear anything that would hurt her in this place.

"MWHA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Dexter cackled, his own laugh rivaling that of Kilowasp. "Try to possess me, will you? Die, thing of evil! I have the power now, and the school belongs to me!"

"Noooo!" Kilowasp whined, plunging down out of the sky in a corkscrew from one of Dexter's explosions, which went off too close.

"Are you done yet?" Dani called out irritably. "I think you still have an acceptance speech to give."

"Oh, right!" Dexter ceased his missile barrage, opting to riddle Kilowasp's plummeting form with bullets instead. "Forgot about that."

Dani sighed and reached around behind her back. From out of nowhere, she materialized one of her older brother's Fenton Thermoses. Dexter had Kilowasp on the ground now, looming over the quaking figure.

"Any last words?" she heard Dexter ask Kilowasp as she took aim.

"Yes," Dani called out, interrupting him. "You are not a crook."

The beam from the Fenton Thermos fired out, latching onto Kilowasp's shaking form. The ghost gave one last feeble cry of protest before he was sucked away inside the device. Dani smiled, giving the thermos a practiced toss, before turning to Dexter.

"So don't start acting like one now," she warned him. "Anyway, let's go."

Taking to the air, Dani grabbed hold of Dexter, who materialized out of the armor back into his original form. The two of them soared up into the sky, which shook with thunder and lightning despite the disappearance of Kilowasp. Dani spotted a set of doors up ahead that reminded her of the flaps on a circus tent. Instinctively, she flew herself and Dexter to them.

There was a bright flash, and suddenly, she was sprawled out on the linoleum floor in the hallway. Randy rushed over to help her up, while Alice's squeaking shoes indicated she was going over to see to Dexter.

"Ugh," a dazed Dani said as she stood with Randy's help. "How long was I gone for?"

"Few seconds is all," Randy replied, looking relieved to see her. "How'd it go in t'ere?"

"And where's Kilowasp?" Alice demanded, yanking Dexter up off the floor.

Dani automatically looked down at her hand, which was where the Fenton Thermos had been. She remembered holding it as she and Dexter flew toward the tent flap.

"Well?" Alice demanded.

Before Dani could provide an adequate excuse, the doors at the other end of the hallway sprung open. A very irate Principal Peaslee stood there for a moment, observing them.

"There you are!" he called out angrily. "Care to explain to me, Mr. Ward, why you are late for your acceptance speech?"

"Sorry," Dexter mumbled, shaking off the feeling of disorientation. "Sorry, Principal Peaslee. I was just conferring with my board of advisers."

"We'll be there in a minute," Alice jumped in, taking charge of the situation. "I'm just giving Dexter a few pointers on how to best address his public."

Principal Peaslee scowled, but finally nodded his consent.

"Don't keep everyone waiting," the principal ordered, leaving the 'especially me' part unspoken.

Each of them let out a sigh of relief once the doors slammed shut.

"That was close," Dani said.

"Tha' was wild," Randy insisted. "Dexter's won a presidential election and gotten hisself possessed all inna same day!"

"That's right," a shocked Dexter blurted out, looking thrilled. "I won! I really, actually won!"

Dani stepped back off to the side as Dexter skipped merrily down the hall toward the auditorium where the assembly, and his public, awaited.

"This is going to be one weird year," Alice said, watching him go.

"No foolin'," Randy agreed.


	6. S1E6 -- The Ties That Bind

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

Episode 6 – The Ties That Bind

" _Some bonds should never be broken!"_

Episode Guide: A package arriving via shipment at the townhouse museum spells disaster for the Kravens. Dani discovers just how much her new family means to her despite the short time they'd known each other.

"Okay, guys."

Alice steeled herself, trying not to think about all the ways in which this could go horribly wrong.

"Just like we rehearsed," she said, giving both Dexter and Randy 'the look', which suggested she was already preparing to blame them if this went poorly. "Randy, you go right. Dexter, take the left flank. If they give you any trouble, just keep powering on through. We don't leave until this is done, okay?"

"Right," Dexter said, swallowing the lump in his throat, and looking for all the world like he'd just consigned himself to the gallows.

"On it," said Randy, looking only slightly more reassured.

"Okay..." Alice let in a deep breath to quiet her raging nerves. "Break!"

All three teens rushed forward, moving in their prearranged pattern. The crowd ahead of them didn't so much as flinch. Dexter managed to slip through first, using his lean frame and height to push through the mass of bodies and spot where the mob was weakest. Randy, on the other hand, got checked as soon as he reached the crowd. There was no other way through but on his hands and knees.

"Man, this ain't right," Randy grumbled, using his shorter frame to slip between people's legs. "Brotha's ain't gotta be down on they hands and knees no more."

As Randy said this, he just so happened to pass under Kimberly Swanson, who had gone to school that day in a bright pink mini-skirt.

"Oops! My bad," he muttered, conceding to this act of divine correction.

Alice, meanwhile, had given up on politeness when several girls tried to stop her. Using her training as a professional ghost hunter, she vaulted over the wall of bodies giving her death glares. The girls seemed dumbfounded by this, leaving Alice free to use the various heads and shoulders blocking her path. People shouted in pain and protest, but Alice ignored them, continuing on until she reached the end where the crowd had concentrated the most.

"I made it!" she cheered, landing in front of the theater ticket booth.

"Thank you for choosing Enchanted Woods Cinema 13," the bored nineteen-year old ticket booth vender said, blatantly ignoring the way Alice had used the other patrons as stepping stones. "Would you like to purchase an Enchanted Woods Movie Card for–"

"No," Alice said, cutting the girl off. "Just... three tickets to see Trinity of Doom 3: The Second Coming. For the special midnight screening on Sunday."

Alice placed a twenty on the counter and waited while the ticket booth operator punched in the code for three tickets on her computer, then made Alice's change.

"Thank you," the young woman said in the same exact bored tone. "Come again."

The way out of the mob was much easier. Ignoring the tempestuous stares and bruised heads as she walked down the outlet that had been set aside by the theater, Alice smiled. Randy and Dexter were waiting for her in front of the giant cardboard cut-out of the theater's mascot, Zoog–a rat that had a jellyfish for a mouth.

"Count 'em," she declared triumphantly, holding the tickets up high over head. "Three for the midnight showing. Did you both tap out?"

"The third booth had already sold out," Randy explained, eyeing Alice's ticket enviously. "I'd be pissed at you for making me do this, but Kimberly Swanson wore her teddy bear panties today, so it's all good."

"Damn you!" Dexter cursed, shaking his fist before returning the hand to his forehead, where he'd been holding it. "All I got was a headbutt from Frankie DeCapri."

"Gross," said Alice, in response to Randy's report, followed by, "At least we're all in."

"Yeah," grumbled Randy, giving Dexter a meaningful glance. "All 'cept for Dani."

"Ugh!" Alice was getting fed up with Randy making allusions to this constantly. "She told me that she wasn't going to be able to make it. I asked her, at both of your insistence, and she said 'no'."

"Guess we should'a asked her ourselves, then."

Alice was growing livid with Randy's attitude. Dexter, as per usual these days, was waffling about and refusing to give his definitive opinion on the subject. Since winning the school's presidential election, Dexter had embraced the role of politician, specifically the part where he remained non-committal to any side of an argument.

"Look, I'm sure she has plenty of things to do," Alice insisted, needing some space away from Randy's accusatory look. "Ghost girls probably have parents too, or someone else to spend time with."

"I know she lives with her aunt and uncle," Dexter piped up, happy to share information now that it no longer meant jumping into the line of fire. "As for her parents..."

"Yeah," Randy affirmed, when Dexter stalled. "She don't talk much 'bout her folks. M' guessing she doesn't get much chance to talk wit' 'em."

"Not my problem," Alice said flatly, pausing in the midst of walking away from the two. "And it's not either of your problem either."

"Because she's half ghost?" Randy challenged, following after Alice.

"More like because she has our tickets," Dexter reminded, coming up alongside Randy to walk in step with him. "Speaking of, Alice. Would you mind–?"

"What?" Alice asked smugly, stopping in her tracks so she could reach into her pocket and pull the movie stubs out. "These?"

Randy's eyes narrowed and his face burned with anger.

"You're really gonna do this," he said, nostrils flaring. "To us?"

"It's time you both chose a side," Alice stated flatly in response, sliding a finger back and forth along the printed papers. "I've been patient. We hunt ghosts, Randy, and wherever Dani's human side comes from, she counts as a spectral anomaly."

"So?" Dexter asked, looking slightly confused. "We either stop being friends with Dani, or you won't give us the tickets?"

"This ain't 'bout tickets, Hoss," Randy informed dryly.

Alice nodded, confirming Randy's statement. "Randy's right," she said. "This is about our careers as ghost hunters. We're going to have to bring Dani down eventually. She's a ghost, even if it's only part time, and ghosts always cause problems for humans."

Around them, people walked back and forth along the city street. Some joined the long line of patrons hoping to buy tickets. A handful stood off to the side, enjoying the spectacle and filming it with their phones. Many more kept moving, intent on reaching whatever destination they had in mind. No one seemed aware of the quiet rebellion taking place in front of them.

"This ain't worth it," Randy said, turning to walk away. "See ya later, Alice."

Dexter frowned, looking both confused and surprised to see his friend leave. "Um, does this mean I go with Randy, or...?"

"That depends," said Alice, seething on the inside. "Who's side are you on, Dexter?"

"Um." Dexter swallowed, looking around desperately for help, before finally settling his gaze on Alice's impatient expression. "I guess..."

Dexter paused, his eyes fixating on the tickets in Alice's hand.

"Question, first," he said quickly, pointing at the ticket stubs. "If I side with Randy, do I still get to keep my ticket?"

Dani reached for the doorknob, glad to be home at last, only to leap to the side as the door swung free seemingly of its own will. A small mob of camera and phone-wielding museum tourists stomped past her down the steps, muttering to themselves. Dani thought she recognized a couple of familiar faces in the crowd, but was too thrilled to not have been trampled beneath their shoes to care much.

"Have a great day, folks," her uncle Paul said, waving in the door frame. "Thanks for stopping by, and come back again any time."

A family of stragglers exited next, wearing expressions that ranged between being miffed and bored out of their minds.

"What a rip-off," the father grumbled, clutching the hand of a small child with dark skin. "Next time we pick something 'educational' for the kids, let's stick with the Smithsonian."

"It was my idea to take them to the ice show," said the other father irritably, sharing a look with his Hispanic son.

Dani waited to make sure there would be no more mobs coming out before ascending the remaining few steps.

"Hey, Dani," Uncle Paul said, spotting her at last. "Didn't see you there. Have a good day at school?"

"It was all right," Dani replied dismissively. "What was up with that bunch? They sounded kinda tweaked off. For a second there, I thought I was going to be Kingsport Fall's first recorded case of pedestrian hit-and-run."

"Oh, don't mind them," Uncle Paul said pleasantly, moving aside so that Dani could enter. "Just some local folks who stop by periodically. They snap pictures, post reports on their blogs, and generally bitch about how nothing here ever changes."

"So why come back?" Dani wondered, while behind her, Uncle Paul closed the door. "Seems like a waste of time, then."

"It's how we pay for the upkeep," Uncle Paul reminded. "And most folks don't lead very exciting lives. Kingsport Falls is a small town, remember."

Dani flashed through her memories of events that had occurred since she first arrived at the small New England town.

"Right," was all she said.

"Things'll be looking up for us soon, though," Uncle Paul told her. "Caroline is in the back right now cracking open a few crates we just got in. Gonna have some new exhibits soon."

"Okay," Dani said, agreeing to the unspoken request. "Just give me time to head upstairs and unload my school books first."

Dani was on her way up the first flight of stairs when Uncle Paul called out to her.

"One other thing," he warned. "Be mindful of the cursed painting on the second floor should you walk past it. It's been acting up again."

"Someone trip and fall over the rug in front of it again?" Dani asked teasingly.

"No," Uncle Paul replied, being serious. "But a guest had their pacemaker fail on them after they stared at it for too long."

Dani blinked, then headed up for the second floor. Even though she knew Aunt Caroline was waiting on her, Dani took a quick detour by the supposedly cursed painting that her uncle had warned her about. She'd heard the story upon arriving at the museum, of course. Her aunt and uncle had described the tale of the spinster woman glaring menacingly in the painting. Apparently, the woman's identity was unknown, but the painting had brought misfortune to everyone that had owned it so far.

Dani had looked at the painting before, but it never triggered her ghost sense. Once more, she stood in front of the portrait of the stern spinster and stared, waiting. Either the painting wasn't haunted, or it was possessed by some other form of power that her ghost sense didn't register. In any case, Dani gave up after a minute and made tracks for her room, depositing her book bag by the window. As the heavy satchel hit the floor, the doll that she'd placed to keep vigil on the window sill fell forward.

"Crap!" Dani cried out, catching the doll before it hit the floor.

The kindly, if strange, Mr. Giuseppe had given Dani the doll during her first trip to Dunwich Alley. Dani hadn't been sure what to do with the thing, but its presence was weirdly comforting for her.

"I guess it's because I never played with dolls as a kid," she mused out loud to herself, stroking the doll's hair. "Helps that I never was a kid, but still–"

Holding the doll had the effect of putting Dani into a wistful mood. Looking down at its face, she was reminded of her origins, and the events leading up to the Fentons adopting her.

"It's no big deal," she insisted, setting the doll back down on the sill. "Lots of people miss out on certain things growing up. Granted, most don't because they're a clone, but the sentiment probably applies anyway."

Leaving her room, Dani jogged back down the stairs to the first floor, then raced through the twisted corridors of the ground level. There was a room in the back of the townhouse that the Kravens used for unloading and unpacking new exhibits. Dani found her aunt there wielding a crowbar against a particularly stubborn crate lid.

"Here, Aunt Caroline," Dani offered, stepping into the room. "Lemme help you with that."

"What?" Aunt Caroline looked startled as she whirled around. "Oh, Dani. You gave me a fright! I didn't realize it was so late."

"It's not, really," Dani replied, taking the crowbar gently out of Aunt Caroline's hands. "I came home right after school today. One sec–"

Dani stuffed the edge of the crowbar between the lid and the crate, braced herself, then pushed down hard. She still retained a small amount of her ghost strength while in human form, enough to pop the lid off without any trouble.

"Goodness," an impressed Aunt Caroline said as the lid went flying. "I must be getting old."

"You loosened it for me," Dani replied kindly, passing the crowbar back to her. "What's in all this stuff anyway?"

"New exhibits," Aunt Caroline explained. "Some stuff to attract a new batch of curious onlookers. That sort of thing."

"I knew that part," Dani said, peeking into the crate she'd opened. "Uncle Paul told me when I came through the door. I meant, specifically."

"Oh, right." Aunt Caroline placed the crowbar down on the floor before digging into the opened crate. "Well, let's see here. We have a cryptid skull for the display case in the Natural Wonders room. Here's an old-fashioned camera for the Cursed Items exhibit on the second floor. Someone donated a comb and brush that were said to have belonged to Marie Lebeau."

Dani watched as her aunt fished out each item and held it up for her to look at.

"There's supposed to be one thing in here that I was very excited to–ah, here it is!"

Aunt Caroline tossed a few Styrofoam peanuts out of the way. Leaning into the crate further, she pulled out a porcelain china doll. Dani blinked, finding herself unable to stop staring at the thing's dead, emotionless eyes.

"It's adorable, isn't it?" Aunt Caroline gushed, using a tone that suggested she would not accept an answer other than 'yes'. "I had it shipped all the way over from Beijing."

"I think it's creepy," Dani stated bluntly, still unable to turn away from the thing. "What's the deal with this one? Found at the scene of various murders? Drove small children mad?"

"Nothing so outrageous, I'm afraid," Aunt Caroline said, placing the porcelain doll within view beside the opened crate. "It's more of a collector's item. Rumor has it, the last owner was murdered by a competitor who hoped to possess it themselves. We were able to pick it up for a steal."

Dani felt no better with the doll visible from the table, and quickly placed a few items in front of it while her aunt was distracted.

"Let's hope whoever wanted this thing doesn't come looking for it," she said, stepping back away from the table as her aunt dug through the crate.

"I doubt that'll happen," Aunt Caroline assured her, distracted. "Both men are dead... what is this other doll doing in here, I wonder?"

"Mom? Dad?" Wes' voice echoed from down the hall near the front of the museum. "I'm home. There was some creep with a communication device watching me from the rooftops on the way home today, but I gave him the slip."

"Would you go see what Wes wants, Dani?" Aunt Caroline asked, raising up out of the crate once more with something in her arms.

"On my way."

Dani was, in fact, already on the way out of the room before she spoke. It was a little embarrassing for a super-powered girl who fought ghosts to admit, but some of the things her aunt and uncle ordered for the museum made her uncomfortable. Dani put the eerie porcelain doll out of her mind, though, and strode calmly past the armor from a Spanish conquistador to look for Wes.

"There you are," she said, glaring at Wes when she found him next to the assorted collection of human skulls. "You know, there are such things as 'indoor voices'."

"Whatever," Wes replied, completely unaffected by Dani's chiding. "Where's Mom?"

"Aunt Caroline's unpacking some stuff for the museum," Dani replied, giving Wes a glare. "I don't know where your dad is, though."

"I didn't ask about Dad," Wes retorted. "Besides, I already know where he is. He's working in the gift shop."

"Good for him, then," Dani said, getting an idea. "Anyway, your mom just sent me to fetch you. She wants you to give her a hand unpacking some stuff for new exhibits."

"Cool," replied Wes, looking excited by the task, much to Dani's surprise. "I'll go upstairs to get my bug-detector equipment in case any of the crates have listening devices."

Dani watched as Wes took off for the stairs, having a surreal feeling of deja vu.

"Why is it," she asked herself, "the longer I stay here, the more alienated I feel. And yet, it feels more and more like home."

Suddenly, Dani wished more than ever to speak with her parents. She knew that the message wouldn't reach the space station anytime soon, but she could at least wile away the hours knowing her parents were beaming a response back.

"Long distance relationships suck," Dani grumbled, heading up to her room again. "Of course, there are a lot fewer songs written about being in a long-distance relationship with your family. Which, thinking on that again, is probably for the best."

That was the sort of response Jazz or Sam would have given. Dani was having to give all the sarcastic retorts herself. She very nearly wished that she hadn't turned the task of helping Aunt Caroline over to Wes. It would have been something to do.

There would have been time for Dani to go back down to the storage area and give Aunt Caroline a hand. Dani continued on to her room anyway, though, to make a quick nondescript video to her family. She made sure to say hello to everyone, and wished them well on their mission. Playing the video back, Dani thought she sounded maudlin. Not wanting her family to feel sorry for her, she deleted the video instead of sending it. The moment the video was gone, however, Dani regretted it. The video might have been sappy and depressing, but at least it had how she really felt in it.

Her mood worse than ever, Dani lay back on her bed and shut her eyes. She hoped that a quick nap would help improve her disposition.

"The last thing I need is to waste the rest of the day kicking myself," she mumbled, already in the midst of dozing off.

Unbeknownst to Dani, there came a loud crash downstairs, followed by a scream.

"Damn."

Randy charged forward, bringing up his dual ecto-pistols, and fired at the glowing mass blob of ecto energy. The formless green spectral ducked and weaved through the air, dodging each blast from him, before zipping off down the alley.

"Heck of a way t' spend my evening," Randy grumbled, giving chase. "Least I don't have to listen to Alice ravin' 'bout how I screw shit up."

Randy's mood was still sour after the afternoon getting movie tickets. It had been a mistake to assume Alice wouldn't drive Dani away, assuming she'd bothered to ask the ghost girl at all. The more Randy thought about it, the more he wondered if Alice had been lying.

"Come on," he grumbled, opening fire again on the spectral blob, which continued to evade his shots. "I oughta be able t' nail at least one wisp."

The alley emptied out into a crowded street. Randy slid to a stop, looked around, and realized he was standing in the middle of the Dunwich Alley shopping center. Crowds of people stared at him in his full ecto armor, their gazes locked in particular on the two guns he packed.

"No cause for alarm, folks," he said out loud, speaking up over the noise of so many people gathered in one place. "We're just... ugh, filming an independent action movie!"

The Blob had risen up over the crowd of shoppers. A few looked away from where Randy stood, staring up at it. Randy took aim and fired, his shot striking the Blob dead center.

"Yeah!" Randy howled, forgetting briefly about the crowd of eyewitnesses. "Now that's more like it."

The blast from his ecto-pistol, however, had no obvious effect aside from shifting the Blob's color scheme from green to florescent blue.

"Or not," Randy mumbled behind his helmet.

The crowds, meanwhile, were beginning to back away now. Randy mused that it had something to do with him firing over their heads.

"Feels like I'm bein' stereotyped," he grumbled, even though this provided him with a clear path to his quarry.

Deciding that catching the ghost was more important, Randy gave chase again. The amorphic blob of ectoplasmic energy zipped off over the heads of the nervous onlookers, dipping down every so often into the sea of humans. Each time it did, someone let out a shriek and dove out of the Blob's path.

"Least it's easier to track this time," Randy grumbled.

The Blob was getting ahead, putting more distance between itself and Randy. Up ahead, the crowd parted enough to give him space to fire a few shots. These had the same effect as before, doing little aside from making the Blob change colors. It was easier for him to spot, at least. As he rounded a corner, Randy realized that the Blob was heading toward Diablo Nacho.

"Here's hopin' they ain't put the statue back yet," he muttered.

Randy pointed both of his ecto-pistols up, ready to open fire. At that moment, a figure leaped out in front of him, wielding a glowing ectoplasmically-charged katana. Each young man froze in his tracks, remaining perfectly still, afraid to move.

"Randy?" the helmeted figure inquired, tilting his head a little curiously.

"Dexter?" Randy fired right back with, lowering his ecto-pistols. "Wha' choo doin' here, Hoss?"

"Ghost hunting," Dexter answered, putting his katana away. "Alice called, rambling on about some weird spectral activity that the Professor picked up. I wasn't listening to most of it. I've been swamped because of all this paperwork that Peaslee has me doing, and–"

"You see which way it went?" Randy interrupted, moving past Dexter to sweep the extended alley with his gaze.

"Where what went?" Dexter asked. "I've been chasing after this big.. glow-y... blob thing. Speaking of which, what are you doing in the Union suit?"

Randy didn't answer immediately, keeping both eyes behind his helmet open and ever watchful for movement. The mini-scanner in his helmet wasn't registering anything, but it didn't have an especially long range when in free-scan mode.

"I don' see it," he whispered.

"See what?" Dexter asked in a normal tone, which was much louder than necessary. "Which ghost were you chasing after?"

"Same one as you," Randy said, sensing Dexter's approach behind him. "Meanin' there might be more 'n one o' these things."

Dexter thought on this. "Mm. That'll make Alice happy," he reasoned.

Randy chuckled mirthlessly. "No foolin'," he grumbled. "Let's get our asses movin', then."

Dexter followed after Randy, who had taken the lead. They'd taken maybe ten steps toward the side entrance next to the Diablo Nacho fast food restaurant when three armed security guards appeared.

"'Scuse me, sons," the most muscular of the three said, looking down at the two youngsters from his six-foot-plus height.

Dexter went still, forgetting for the moment that he was packing a katana. Randy, on the other hand, slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Seems you boys 've been causin' quite the disturbance," the large security officer said, smirking. "Mind 'splaining what's goin' on here?"

"Not really," Randy said, growing brave again.

None of the security officers blinked.

"Well, that's too bad, son." The largest officer was looking at Randy now with a decidedly unpleasant gleam in his eye. "We don' take kindly t' troublemakers round here, 'specially when they run about firing toy lasers over nice folks just tryin' t' do some shoppin'."

"We'll make a note of that," Dexter replied nervously. "See, we were on our way to this... um, comic book... cosplay event. That's believable, right? And–"

"Save it," said Randy, reaching for the control on his belt buckle. "Invisibility mode."

Dexter watched, along with the three dumbfounded rent-a-cops, as Randy promptly faded out of sight. A second later, something nudged Dexter hard in the rib section of his armor, making him stumble backward.

"Oh, right!" Dexter reached for his belt buckle as well, entering the same code. "Sorry about that. Maybe you three will get lucky next time."

As Dexter disappeared, the three armed guards looked around from one to the next, each hoping that the other witness to this bizarre event had a logical explanation. When no one spoke, the leader removed his uniform cap and brushed the sweat off his brow.

"Ya'll mind if we just keep what happened here t' ourselves?"

Neither other man objected.

"Thanks," he muttered. "S' getting' to where young punks can purchase 'bout anything online nowadays."

Dani's eyes snapped open.

She was wide awake on her bed and had no idea why. Something had jarred her awake suddenly and without any sort of warning. Slowly, she raised up into a sitting position, unsure if what she was experiencing was part of a dream or not. After several seconds of blinking nonstop, Dani confirmed that she was in fact awake by pinching herself on the arm.

"Ow," she grumbled, rubbing her arm on the spot where her fingernails had dug in a little too deep. "Well, I guess that answers that question. Why is it so quiet?"

The house was indeed unnaturally silent. According to the clock on her bedside table, Dani hadn't slept for more than an hour or so. Her aunt and uncle didn't shut down the museum until around six o'clock in the evening. Occasionally, they held the place open if someone called ahead and was willing to pay extra. There was still time for eager occult enthusiasts and tourists with bad tastes to drop by. Knowing that, the silence took on an eerie quality that shook Dani more than she cared to admit.

"Why do I have the feeling this is going to lead to something bad?" she wondered, standing up.

As if in response, Dani felt a shiver rise up through her spine. A trail of icy breath escaped from her mouth, wilting away to nothing in the air. Her ghost sense had been triggered, though, and Dani knew what this meant.

"Looks like we've got unexpected company," she muttered, changing from Danielle Kraven to Dani Phantom in a flash of dual rings. "What you wanna bet they didn't pay at the desk, either?"

Going intangible and invisible, Dani searched the immediate area for whatever had triggered her ghost sense. Finding no sign of anybody, she phased through the wall and across the top floor bathroom to Wes's room.

"Gross," she said upon going tangible again, looking around the room at the mess. "I know he's a conspiracy nut, but you'd think that would make him more organized."

There was hardly room on the floor for her to land, so Dani kept her feet hovering above the carpet–what little of it she could see, anyway. Something moved out the corner of her eye, but when Dani turned, she only saw a shadow cast from the fading light outside Wes's bedroom window.

"I guess I should be glad it wasn't a rat," Dani mused, cringing at the thought.

Going intangible again, Dani dove around through the walls and into Wes's closet looking for signs of him.

"Guess he's not in here," she said, stopping in mid air above the unmade bed covered in half-eaten potato chips.

Something dove straight through Dani's body, knocking broken, stale chips into the air as it landed on the bed. Dani flinched and drifted further up into the air out of the way. Looking down, she saw Wes glaring up at her, his face a mask of rage. The eyes, however, were a complete blank, and they glowed a bright red.

"Wes?" she asked, alarmed. "What are you doing–?"

Before Dani could finish, Wes flipped himself up and kicked Dani right in the stomach. The strength behind the blow startled her. She found herself flying backward into a shelf that was loaded with various surveillance and analytic equipment.

"Why couldn't Wes be abnormal in that he's neat," Dani asked herself as several of the devices struck her on top of the head. "But no, he had to be like other boys. Messy and smelly. And crazy, apparently."

There was the sound of something squishing underneath Dani, which caused her to gag in response. Standing, she found Wes perched at the edge of the mattress, watching her with eyes glowing red.

"You need some ClearEyes," Dani advised, charging her palms with ecto energy in warning. "It gets the red out, or so they say."

Wes pounced, intending to attack Dani head on, but Dani simply dropped down and phased through the floor. When she reemerged, Wes had collided with his own shelf, causing it to drop down on top of him.

"Here's hoping that snapped you out of... whatever's bothering you," Dani said worriedly.

The shelf shifted for a moment, then Wes threw it off to the side like it was made from cardboard.

"I'm guessing it didn't," she said quickly as Wes let out an unearthly roar. "Wes, please listen to me for once. I'm trying not to hurt you, but if you keep this up, it's going to be–"

Wes leaped through the air at her, taking Dani by surprise. The two landed on the bed, which evidently had more than just old broken potato chips lurking beneath the covers. Dani tried to drown out the sound and smell of whatever it was that was soaked into the sheets. Wes was attempting to pin her arms down, and it was only Dani's fear of hurting him that kept her from breaking both of his arms.

"I should've stayed in bed," she bemoaned, bracing her feet against Wes's abdomen. "You look like you could use a nap too!"

Dani tensed the muscles in her lower legs and pushed hard, throwing Wes off the bed and into the closet. As Wes sailed through the air, Dani thought she saw something familiar. The sound of Wes crashing into the equipment he kept hidden in the closet space went unnoticed by her. Dani reached out and snatched the thin red thread out of the air.

"I've seen this before," she said, thinking back to the fight with the mannequins at the Dunwich Alley shopping center. "Now it all makes sense."

Looking up, Dani saw that Wes had emerged from the closet and was staring at her with mouth foaming and teeth clenched.

"I wish I'd figured this out sooner," she said, holding the thread up to a pointed finger. "You wouldn't have needed to get smacked around so much. Though, it probably did you some good."

Wes lunged at Dani once again, but she had already severed the thread with a tiny bit of ecto energy from her finger. The broken thread drifted to the bed and faded from sight, leaving Wes suddenly very much in control of himself. His eyes flashed back from red to their normal shade of green. Unfortunately, Wes could do nothing to stop his forward momentum while in mid air. Dani jumped back out of the way, landing on the floor at the other side of the bed, and crunching in something she sincerely hoped was leftover chips. Wes, meanwhile, fell flat on his face in the mess of bed covers.

"Wow," he mumbled, his voice nearly indistinguishable. "I should really ask Mom to wash these sheets for me. They reek."

"I know," Dani said, glaring at Wes as he raised up to look at her. "I've had first-hand experience."

Wes stared at Dani and blinked.

"What are you doing in my room?" he asked plainly. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and guess you didn't sneak in here to spy on me."

Dani realized with a jolt what Wes was implying and stared right back at him wide-eyed in shock.

"What..." she fumbled. "I mean, how did you... What are you talking about... small human... boy?"

Wes snorted and rolled himself off the bed, landing on the opposite side of Dani. Brushing the crumbs off his clothes, he gave Dani a smug look that only little brothers can.

"I know it's you, Danielle," Wes stated plainly. "Mom and Dad told me before you came here to live with us."

Dani's eyes somehow managed to widen even farther.

"They know?" she whispered, full-on mortified now.

"Of course," Wes told her, like it should have been obvious. "Your parents told them after they said you could live here with us."

"Oh, well..." Dani wasn't sure how she felt about that, but luckily, their lives were still in enough danger that it wasn't important for now. "Okay, I guess I won't have to make up an excuse then."

Wes snorted. "You wouldn't have convinced me even if I hadn't been told it was you," he said, sneering. "So, what are you doing in my room? Is this a girl thing or something?"

This statement snapped Dani back to her senses. 

"You were being controlled by someone," she began, growing serious. "I've seen it happen before too. Just not with people. There were these mannequins at–"

"I knew it!" Wes crowed, sounding ecstatic. "I knew I was being followed on my way home from school today. Someone big has to be behind this. One or more of the theories I posted online must've gotten the attention of a big group, and now..."

"It's not a conspiracy," Dani yelled, glaring daggers at Wes with her arms folded. "This is ghost activity, not a government cover-up."

Wes actually resembled a petulant child for a moment.

"It could be," he insisted, sulking.

"Not this time," Dani said, humoring him. "Maybe some other day, but for now, we need to find your parents and make sure they're all right. If this thing got to you–"

"On it," Wes said, heading for the door. "They'll be downstairs by now, probably working in the dining room."

"Right," agreed Dani, phasing through the floor. "Race you there!"

The third floor of the townhouse held the living room, dining area, and kitchen. Dani zipped through each room, searching for her aunt and uncle, while Wes was still racing down the stairs.

"Hey, no fair!" he cried out in objection upon reaching the third floor landing.

"Keep going," Dani instructed, giving the entire third floor another sweep for good measure. "Check the second level while I clear this one."

"Right," Wes agreed, hesitating briefly. "But don't think this means you get to order me around. You're still not the boss of me!"

Dani rolled her eyes and waited while Wes continued on. "Whatever," she grumbled, watching the shadows closely.

There was no sign of Aunt Caroline or Uncle Paul anywhere. Despite this, Dani didn't leave the third floor immediately to join Wes on his search.

"There's something weird going on," she muttered, speaking to her self. "I can feel it, even if my ghost sense hasn't gone off."

Wes had been overshadowed remotely via a thread of some kind. It was the same thing she'd encountered weeks ago.

"Whoever's doing this can control people," she mused, the sense of unease growing inside her by the second. "Not just mannequins or inanimate objects. Wes was under their power, so that means..."

Dani's eyes widened sharply.

"Oh crap," she said, going intangible once more and diving down straight to the lower level.

The second level, where the museum officially ended, was deserted. Furthermore, all the lights had been turned off. The hallway where Dani floated felt abandoned, like no one had been there in years.

"This is ridiculous," she whispered, though unintentionally. "Wes, where are you?"

No one responded.

"Of course, it might help if I called out to him in a normal tone," she chastised. "Wes, wherever you are, this is no time to play hide and seek or screw around."

Something moved again in the shadows just of out the corner of Dani's eye. A high-pitched giggle followed, along with the sound of light footsteps scurrying away quickly in the darkness. Dani raised a hand up and shined a light from it, using her ghost powers to illuminate the dark hallway. The green glow did little to dispel the uncomfortable ambiance, but at least she could see.

"Aunt Caroline and Uncle Paul really ought to consider redecorating this place," she mused, shining the light over the various cursed objects and spooky museum pieces.

The footsteps scurried again, followed by another high-pitched giggle. Dani shined the light toward the sound and managed to glimpse a moving shadow hurrying away in the opposite direction.

"Sorry, pal," she scolded, zipping off through the air after the intruder. "I don't like dealing with bashful types, especially during first introductions."

Dani fired a few shots after the figure, none of which were powerful enough to so much as scorch the carpet. She'd intended them to be a warning, but all the figure in the shadows did was dance about erratically, gleefully avoiding them.

"Look," Dani began, hoping for a more diplomatic approach. "If you want to play, you could at least come out and tell me your name first so we can get to know one another."

"Oh, but isn't it so much more exciting when there's an element of mystery to the game?"

The voice startled Dani, not so much because of the response, but in the manner of which it echoed off the walls. The sound was the same as the laughter: high-pitched and somehow unnatural. The reverberation off the walls of the hallway made Dani pause.

"I was always bad at solving mysteries," she confessed, though Dani wore a smirk the whole time she spoke. "I've lost every game of Clue I ever played. My personal favorite is... Tag!"

Dani punctuated the last word of her statement with a powerful ecto-blast. The figure in the shadows jumped high through the air, executing a flip that should have been nigh impossible. The movement did provide Dani with a better glimpse of her foe. Though the figure was still concealed by the low light, she could make out the basics of his form.

"Wow," she said softly, gliding over to the smolder spot on the floor where her blast hit. "I wasn't expecting someone so... short."

"Do you have a problem with that?" the voice taunted back, revealing they'd heard her. "Tag is fun, but my favorite is hide and seek, just like your little brother. Of course, I also love playing with toys too."

Dani cringed as the figure laughed, making the sound echo all around her. In her confusion, she almost missed spotting her mysterious adversary duck into one of the display rooms.

"And I've found some brand-new ones to play with," the figure went on, his voice still echoing despite having switched rooms. "Three in fact. I think they belonged to you first, but possession is nine-tenths of the law."

Dani gave chase, swooping into the room full of cryptid photographs and odd preserved body parts.

"The thief's credo," Dani said, keeping her eyes sharp for movement. "As someone who used to steal herself, I can tell you that's a load of bullshit."

"Oh, you've got a potty mouth," the figure scolded in a low, threatening tone. "Mommy and Daddy need to wash those bad words right out of you. The sooner, the better!"

Dani's eyes glowed brightly in anger.

"You and what army?" she challenged, raising both glowing fists up in front of her, striking a fighting pose in mid-air. "Go ahead and try it, if you're brave enough."

"Not me!" the voice said gleefully as Dani heard the door slam shut behind her. "Them!"

Dani turned and saw her aunt and uncle standing in front of the closed door. Paul and Caroline's eyes each glowed a bright red. In their hands, they clutched an old Winchester rifle and a battle ax, respectively.

"Oh, great," Dani grumbled, steeling herself. "It would be so much easier if they just grounded me like normal substitute parents."

"Too true," said the figure, stepping forward to position himself behind Dani. "But where's the fun in that? Get her!"

"I don't get this," said Dexter, slicing the floating Blob before him cleanly in two. "The more we hurt this thing, the bigger it gets."

The bisected Blob shivered and switched colors yet again from bright yellow to a soft pink. Each half hovered for a moment before spreading farther apart in opposite directions. Neither piece had far to fly in the dark alley Randy and Dexter had chased them into, though. The Blob had shown no sign of being able to go intangible, which was a relief to both. Even still, their job was no easier now than when they'd started.

"Okay," Dexter stated guiltily, standing with his katana. "Add the fact that they can apparently divide themselves now onto the list, too."

"Nuthin' to be done 'bout it, Hoss," said Randy, firing at the separate targets now. "Shit's getting' weirder by the minute."

The two had already determined that the miscellaneous Blob could absorb energy blasts. Ectoplasm was soaked up by it easily, like water was into a sponge. Dexter had gotten in a clean slice, but physical assaults weren't working either.

"I'm scared to hit this thing again," Dexter complained, backing away as one half of the Blob took to following after him, ignoring Randy's shots completely. "It might split into thirds!"

"Can't just hop back and forth 'n hope for the best," Randy barked back. "Better t' do sumthin' than nuthin' at all!"

Randy took his own words to heart by firing onto his half of the Blob, which soaked up his ecto-pistol's shots easily. The Blob switched to a bright red color and doubled in size.

"Works in theory, anyway," Randy grumbled.

"Fuck!"

Randy turned away to spot Dexter several feet off to the side, having just sliced into his Blob half again. The two pieces switched to different colors–blue and green–surrounding Dexter on opposing sides. Randy took aim with his ecto-pistols, but was only able to fire off a couple of shots before the Blob he'd been fighting engulfed him.

"Get off me!" he howled angrily as the Blob changed to lemon yellow and smothered him.

"Don't fire on them!" Dexter yelled back. "It just makes them bigger!"

Something was wrong with Randy's power armor. The energy inside his helmet was fading, causing the view from it to scramble. Randy could feel the armor growing hot against his skin. With a jolt, he realized that the Blob was feeding on it. The thing swelled suddenly, growing large enough to cover his entire body with its mass.

"Help!" Randy screamed as a warning light flashed inside his helmet. "This shit's gonna eat me, and I don' swing that far!"

Randy thought he heard Dexter let out a shout of something, but his helmet was muffled too much by the Blob to determine what was wrong. He feared that his friend was suffering the same fate. His own armor was beginning to destabilize. The Blob would be seeping through to his skin in mere moments, a thought that made Randy panic. He did not want this stuff touching him.

And then, with no warning whatsoever, it was gone.

Randy felt himself fall, landing fast on the hard, cold alley asphalt. His armor had gaping holes in several places, exposing the clothing underneath. A couple of his dreadlocks spilled out of the side of his ruptured helmet. Randy looked up, confused by what just happened, and saw Alice standing there in full ecto-armor with Dexter.

"Lucky for you," Alice said smugly, "I brought a spare Polter-Vac."

"Alice?" Randy asked, confused by her presence.

"I've been chasing these things around town all evening," she revealed, holding the Polter-Vac up for Randy to inspect. "They're not very strong, but they absorb ectoplasm like it's crack or something. Physical attacks don't help much either."

"We noticed," Randy said, getting to his feet. "That one nearly made dinner outta me."

Alice gave Randy a once-over as his ecto-armor finally gave up the proverbial ghost and destabilized into nothing, leaving Randy exposed in his civilian wear.

"No kidding," Alice said, wincing. "You'd better come back with me to the Clocktower and let the Professor look you over. I don't want to think about what those Blobs could do to you if they stayed in close contact for too long."

"Ah, the teenage years," Dexter said sighing, sounding appropriately melodramatic. "Remember when we just had to worry about flu shots and acne? Man, those were the days."

"Sure thing," Randy agreed, ignoring Dexter. "You'll need to empty out both Polter-Vacs anyhow."

Alice nodded, considering Randy's words for a moment. "We really should start carrying one of these apiece between us. I think this little incident demonstrates why."

"We said that already," Dexter insisted, looking petulant for a brief moment. "Actually, no. I think it was Dani who suggested that."

Dexter froze when he realized what he'd just said. "You're not going to beat me up, are you?" he asked, covering his helmet-encased head. "Or hit me with your bo staff? Or shoot me?"

Alice gave Dexter a very light tap on the helmet with her staff in response, but then patted him encouragingly in the same spot where she'd struck.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she promised him. "Either of you. We're Spectre Detectors, and that means we've got to stick together. The ghost problem in this town is getting worse. Those little Blob things were everywhere."

"Any idea where they came from?" Randy asked, following alongside Alice as she made her way to the mouth of the alley, de-Specterizing in the process.

"The Professor said that they were drifting into Kingsport Falls from further up north," Alice replied, while Dexter decompiled his own ecto-armor. "Which isn't normal ghost behavior. I was in the Clocktower when the scans picked them up."

"Meanin'" said Randy, putting it together. "There's sumthin' weird goin' on in Kingsport."

"Um, isn't that every day of our lives?" Dexter asked as he and the others stepped out into the city street. The other pedestrians gave them no notice as they worked their way down one side of the sidewalk.

"It is," Alice admitted. "It's why I'm not worried. Whatever is going on, we'll deal with it."

This earned her a smirk from Randy, and Dexter soon followed with a smile of his own.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Alice snapped, though she didn't sound particularly angry. "You can keep your little Ghost Girl friendship bracelets for right now. I've thought about it, and you're right in that she does come in handy on occasion."

"Glad you noticed." Randy rolled his eyes, but conceded privately that this was the best he was likely to get out of Alice for the time being. "This mean she can come wit' us to see the flick?"

"I bought a spare ticket," Dexter added, looking sheepish when Alice cast a stern glare at him. "Just in case. I mean, it could have gone to anybody who... wanted to see the movie with us."

Alice sighed. "I suppose," she grumbled, unhappy. "Just... be careful. I still don't trust her."

It was Dexter and Randy's turn to give Alice a look.

"I'm serious," Alice insisted. "What do we really know about her, about where she comes from, or her family?"

Dani ducked as the axe wielded by her aunt swung through the air in the spot where her neck had been a second ago. The blade whooshed through the air cleanly, giving Dani goosebumps. Uncle Paul, she noticed standing behind Aunt Caroline, was taking aim with the rifle again. Dani dove for the carpet and went intangible, passing through the floor while, above her, the shot her uncle fired shattered the bedroom window.

Rising up behind Uncle Paul, Dani tapped the older man on the shoulder, getting his attention. "You know," she said, snatching the rifle away, "you're really setting a bad example for me by playing with this in the house."

Uncle Paul's red eyes narrowed and glowed sharply. A growl escaped from between his grit teeth as he clenched his fists in preparation to attack. Dani beat him to the punch, literally; her uncle was knocked flying into a nearby display of what a plaque suggested was a Sasquatch bone.

"And you," she added, facing down her axe-wielding aunt again, "should know better than to play with sharp objects. Someone could lose an eye."

Aunt Caroline responded to this lecture by slicing straight down at Dani. Dani countered by dividing herself in two momentarily. She could only maintain a split form for a few seconds, but in this case, that was all she needed. Her twin halves melded back together into one another while Aunt Caroline struggled to remove the axe blade from the floor where it was embedded.

"Or a head," Dani added. "Now do us all a favor and snap out of it, Aunt Caroline."

Dani punctuated this statement by firing her ghost ray at the thin red thread she spotted coming out from her aunt's neck. The ecto-blast severed the thread cleanly, but her aunt remained under her real assailant's control.

"Oh, come on," she grumbled, glaring at the oddly-dressed figure. "It worked earlier on Wes. Why not now?"

It was redundant to ask a villain for the answer to such a question. Dani knew that, but figured it would be worth a shot. In her experience, some villains were egotists who lived to talk about themselves. She was hoping this bizarre figure proved to be no different.

"That would be telling," he jeered, holding both hands up where Dani could see. "And you wouldn't want me to spoil the game so soon, right?"

The puppet's joints rattled with each movement. His eyes rolled in their sockets as if they were having trouble focusing on one specific thing. Dani had the feeling he could see her clearly, though. The puppet's clothing was like something out of an old play or a Renaissance Fair. Every minute or so, he would hop back and forth from one foot to the other, as if plagued by an energy that refused to let him stand still. It was like watching a mischievous child dance around in an attempt to avoid peeing himself.

Dani noticed that each finger on the puppet's hand had a red thread sticking out from it. An idea began to form in her head.

"Well," Dani began, hoping she was right, as her uncle was getting to his feet now, "if we're going to play games together, you should at least tell me your name."

"Nocchi," the puppet answered, jerking clumsily as he attempted to bow at Dani, removing the feathered cap on his head as well. "Just Nocchi, if you would. No last name."

"In other words," Dani teased, keeping an eye on her aunt and uncle, "you're from the 80s?"

"Perhaps," Nocchi retorted boldly, grinning. "One of them, at least. Take a wild guess as to which, assuming you still have limbs once my toys are finished hacking you to bits."

Nocchi twitched his fingers, each one giving off a small 'clack' noise. As one, Aunt Caroline and Uncle Paul moved toward Dani.

"Here's hoping I'm right about this," she said, worried.

Dani charged her palms with ecto energy and swooped forward to meet the two head-on. Phasing through their bodies, Dani swept the ground behind them for signs of the red threads. Immediately, Dani spotted two running down from Aunt Caroline's legs. Dani seized both with her hands and yanked them away from her aunt's body, feeling them snap.

"That's two," she said to herself, straightening up. "Are there any more?"

Aunt Caroline's body went rigid, like she'd just suffered a major shock. The movement revealed a third thread coming from her aunt's neck. Dani fired an ecto-blast, cutting the thread smoothly. Aunt Caroline blinked, wobbled on her feet for a moment more, then sank down to her knees.

Dani rushed to her aunt, catching the older woman before she fell further and hit her head. "Aunt Caroline," she said, relieved. "Are you all right?"

"I... I believe so," her aunt began, still looking a little bleary-eyed. "What... how did I get up...?"

Before Aunt Caroline could continue, Dani's uncle swung at her, having broken off the handle of Caroline's battle axe to use as a club. Dani shielded her aunt, using her own body to take the blow, and groaned in pain as the club struck her. Uncle Paul attacked again, managing to knock Dani away this time.

"Paul!" Aunt Caroline shrieked, horrified by what her husband had done. "What is the matter with you? Have you completely lost your senses?"

"He's under Nocchi's control," Dani moaned, still reeling as she fought to get back up on her feet. "It's not his fault."

Aunt Caroline leaped back out of the way as Paul took a swipe at her with his club. "Oh," she replied, looking remarkably calm given the circumstances. "Well, then I may actually feel a little bit guilty for doing... this!"

Before Paul could attack her again, Aunt Caroline swung out with a fist, clocking him across the jaw. Uncle Paul spun clean around, looking dazed through his red eyes. Aunt Caroline wore a somewhat satisfied look as her husband pitched forward under his own weight, crashing to the floor.

"Wow," Dani mumbled, stunned. "Way to go, Aunt Caroline."

"Street boxing," Aunt Caroline explained by way of reply. "Three whole years during college. You never really forget."

As one, the red threads whipped about and tore themselves from Uncle Paul's unconscious body, writhing in the air like snakes as they coiled back toward Nocchi.

"You've broken him!" the puppet howled, furious as the threads wove and twisted in the air around him. "You've broke my new toy! How could you?"

Aunt Caroline turned toward the ranting puppet, eyeing him curiously for a second.

"So this is the cause of all the trouble, is he?" Caroline asked Dani. "I remember now. He came in the new shipment, under the pretty china doll I was showing you."

"I think you should get a refund, Aunt Caroline," Dani said, before firing her ecto-blast at Nocchi.

The puppet danced out of the way of Dani's first few blasts, but one caught him square in the chest. Nocchi was thrown back into a wall, then crumpled to the floor in a heap of misaligned limbs and noise.

"Grrr! You play too rough!" The growl that came from Nocchi's voice sounded unnatural. "But I can play rough too, little girl!"

Nocchi flung his arms out as he stood up, sending threads through the air. Dani charged before any of the threads could get near her aunt or uncle. Charging her hands and feet, she sliced through the threads, cutting them to bits.

"That's not all my threads can do," Nocchi boasted. "Try this instead!"

The threads began to circle Dani before she had the chance to move. The ghost girl soon discovered she was tangled up in them. Nocchi laughed his high-pitched, sinister snicker as he raised Dani in the air. Dani struggled to free herself, but the threads were too tight.

"You let go of my niece this instant."

Aunt Caroline was suddenly on Nocchi and kicked him in a side sweep. Dani felt the threads loosen their grip on her enough that she could blast herself free. Nocchi, meanwhile, tumbled to a stop in the corner.

"Mom? Dad?" Wes's voice came from behind the door. "Is everything all right?"

"Wes!" Aunt Caroline sounded panicked, while Nocchi grinned mischievously. "Don't come in here, son!"

"Ha!" Nocchi cried out as he flung his threads for the door, using them to unlock it while simultaneously dragging Wes into the room. "Now he's mine to play with once more."

Wes's movements became as erratic as Nocchi's. The puppet laughed hysterically watching as Wes stumbled further into view.

"That's good! That's great!" Nocchi jeered. "Now dance for me, mortal boy!"

Wes proceeded to do just that, or at least what Dani assumed her cousin thought was dancing. His movements were even more bizarre and painful to watch.

"That's enough," Nocchi said, holding his fingers still for a moment. "Now, attack them both. Make them pay for hurting me and spoiling my fun."

Wes went rigid and held both arms out in front of him, walking as though he were a zombie. Grunts and moans escaped from somewhere deep in his throat. Dani noticed there was something clutched in the palm of his hand. It looked like a rolled up piece of paper.

"Must... destroy," Wes groaned, staggering toward his mother, who was standing closest to Nocchi. "Must destroy! Crush! Kill! Maim! Destroy!"

"Yes, yes." Nocchi actually rolled his eyes. "Get on with it, then."

"Well, if you say so." Wes dropped the zombie act so quickly that even Dani was taken by surprise. "Here, you can have this while you're at it."

Wes unrolled the slip of paper in his hand and slapped it down right between Nocchi's eyes. The paper talisman–which had Japanese symbols that Dani couldn't read printed on it–glowed brightly. Nocchi let out a sharp cry of pain and surprise, waving his arms around dramatically in an attempt to swat the paper away.

"Get it off me!" the puppet screamed. "It's burning! No, I don't like this. Make it stop!"

Dani actually laughed, joined by her aunt, as the puppet stumbled forward and raced toward the door out of the room.

"Pretty good," she told her cousin, who looked very pleased with himself as his mother hugged him. "You overplayed the zombie part, but your plan worked all the same. Congrats!"

"How'd you know I was faking?" Wes asked, pulling away from Caroline long enough to look at Dani. "I thought I'd convinced everyone."

"Your eyes weren't glowing," Dani pointed out, gesturing to her own yellow-green glowing eyes. "When Nocchi controls people, their eyes glow red."

"Oh," was all Wes could think of to say before he turned to look at his still-unconscious father. "Wait, what happened to Dad?"

"Um, that's not really important right now," Aunt Caroline replied sheepishly. "Why don't you help me get your father upstairs to the first aid kit."

"Right," said Dani, taking to the air once more. "I'm going after the puppet master. Oh, incidentally, what was that paper you stuck to his forehead? Should I be worried about it?"

"It's a talisman," Aunt Caroline explained, compelling Dani to look from Wes to her aunt. "For warding away dark spirits and curses."

"I used it along with this," Wes added, holding up a second talisman that was made from wood. "This one prevents possession. It's why that puppet thing couldn't control me."

"Got it," Dani said before zooming for the door. "I thought I'd ask later, but it's good to know."

Dani's brow creased with worry as she zipped down the hallway. Her first thought was that she would need to sweep the whole house. It was possible that Nocchi was already downstairs and making his escape.

This theory was thrown right out the window, however, when Dani heard Nocchi's voice letting out an almighty cry of pain.

"Unhand me!" Nocchi screamed from somewhere further down and off to the left. "Foul governess! Babysitter! Enemy of Fun!"

In seconds, Dani was in the space where she remembered her uncle warning her that afternoon. The cursed painting she'd been told of–the one of the stern-faced woman who gave her chills–glowed an ominous red. Mist flowed out from it, as well as the elongated arms of the mysterious woman. She now loomed down over a struggling Nocchi, who was doing his best to escape.

"Wicked, wicked boy," the Ghost Governess hissed, staring at Nocchi like she intended to flay him alive, if that were possible. "Bad little boys who cause trouble for others deserve no fun. You are coming with me, young man!"

Nocchi began to struggle in earnest. Dani held back for a moment, but at last swept up the hallway through the air to stop her.

"Wait–!" she cried out, but it was already too late.

"You are going to be grounded for some time," the Ghost Governess warned Nocchi as she dragged him into the painting. "You will be doing lines, and cleaning toilets, and having extra homework every single night."

"No! Please, no! Someone save me!"

Dani slowed to a stop and watched, figuring that the Ghost Governess's punishment sounded fitting given the circumstances. The red light and mist faded from sight as Nocchi vanished into the painting. With a bright flash, which made Dani flinch, both were gone.

"Well," Dani mused as the hallway fell silent. "That's one way to solve a problem."

Remembering that her uncle was injured, Dani headed back to give her aunt and little cousin a hand. Once they were upstairs, Aunt Caroline set about dealing with her husband's wound. Using a combination of bandages, herbal treatments, and Tylenol, she had Uncle Paul conscious in a few minutes.

"So that's what happened," Uncle Paul said, looking from his wife to Wes and Dani, who'd gone back to her human form. "This sure has been one crazy day, huh."

Dani blinked. "You two are taking this very well," she noted. "Um, not that I'm ungrateful, but why is that exactly?"

Aunt Caroline and Uncle Paul–as well as Wes, to Dani's surprise–all laughed.

"We run a museum catered to cursed objects and ghostly phenomenon, dearie," Uncle Paul said, wiping a tear from his eye. "These kinds of things happen."

"Hopefully not for a while again," Aunt Caroline muttered wearily, giving her husband a pat on the back.

"Yes, Sis," Wes said, still laughing at Dani's question. "This was nothing. Especially compared to the time that haunted toaster–"

"We agreed not to bring that one up again for a while," Aunt Caroline interjected crisply. "I was the one, you may recall, who spent the evening cleaning up the kitchen afterward."

"What?" Dani asked, directing the question not to her aunt, but at Wes. "Did you just call me 'Sis'?"

Wes actually blushed and shuffled his feet a little.

"Yes, well," he began, trying to look nonplussed. "Don't make a big deal out of it or anything. It just... seems right after all this. You might as well be a member of the family after one of the exhibits tried to kill you."

"Sounds fair enough," Uncle Paul added, laughing.

Dani joined in with the laughter, feeling much better than she had in a long while.

"Very good," Aunt Caroline said, breaking up their fun. "But we have a mess to clean up downstairs. That little wooden boy did a number on one of our exhibit rooms. I expect all three of you to pitch in helping me set everything straight."

"Yes, dear," Uncle Paul said obediently.

Dani nodded at her aunt, who joined her along with Wes and Uncle Paul in the descent downstairs. "So, everyone here knew all along that I'm half-ghost?"

"Of course," Aunt Caroline said. "Your parents explained the whole confusing thing to us. Well, in your uncle's case, three times."

"It's a lot to take in," Uncle Paul protested, though he didn't sound offended.

"I only needed to have parts of it repeated once," Wes boasted.

"Quiet, you," Aunt Caroline warned as they reached the second floor. "Time for work. And we're going to have to move that painting into the Vault for safekeeping. I don't want either one of you going near it in the meantime."

"Yes ma'am," Wes responded.

"Yes, Aunt Caroline," Dani said.

Between the four of them–and with Dani using her ghost powers–the mess was cleaned up in no time. For Dani, it reminded her a great deal of the times she and her family had to clean house after a ghost assault on FentonWorks. Rather than make her homesick, though, an odd kind of peace settled into her.

"I guess it wasn't such a bad day after all," she said to herself once inside her room.

Going straight for her computer, Dani failed to notice the small doll she kept on the sill was missing. A moment later, Dani had accessed her e-mail, and was pleased to find a message from her family.

" _Hi, Dani!"_

Jazz's bright face grinned broadly at the camera, giving Dani a full view of her big sister's bright face.

" _Sorry I haven't been in touch. Things got really crazy up here recently. I can't explain right now. Dad gave me a break so I could send a quick message to let you know we're all right. There was some kind of reaction within the anomaly recently, though. Mom thinks that some kind of debris came out of it and fell through space toward Earth."_

This was news to Dani, who hadn't heard anything in the news recently about objects falling from space. There could have been a meteor shower, but she wouldn't have learned about it given today's events.

" _I'll call again when I can. Keep an eye out in case something weird happens, and please be careful. You don't have Danny there to watch your back. Bye!"_

"No, I don't," Dani acknowledged as she saved Jazz's message to a folder. "But there are people who look out for me here."

Outside the museum, a figure dressed entirely in white stared across the street at the four-story townhouse. Inside his coat pocket, a phone buzzed quietly on vibrate.

"Sir," the gentleman answered. "The situation has resolved itself. It doesn't appear as though a clean-up crew will be necessary."

"That's some good news, at least," said a smooth, yet terse, voice on the other end of the line. "Tracking these anomalies will take time and considerable effort. To say nothing of pinpointing their origin."

"I will join the field team immediately," the agent said, moving into the shadows out of view of anyone from within the museum. "With permission, of course."

"Do so," the commander on the other end said. "After you have explained how a small child was able to elude you earlier today."

The agent staggered at this. "Sir," he flummoxed. "I can explain. It was–"

"Never mind," the commander ordered. "Get going."

Giuseppe hesitated as he was counting out the cash from his register. Sensing something, he marched around the counter, leaving the money visible for anyone to see. With a swift gesture of one hand, threads sprang out and closed the door to his toy shop, hanging a 'Closed' sign up as well.

"You can come out now," he said, speaking to the seemingly empty shop. "There's no one else about but myself."

A figure dressed all in black–wearing a long dress jacket, top hat, and carrying a cane with a silver raven at the top–moved out from behind some shelves.

"Did I really give myself away that easily?" he asked, grinning over at Giuseppe, who frowned.

"What do you want from me this time?" Giuseppe asked, not surprised by the intrusion.

In answer, the man reached under the fold of his coat to pull out a beautiful, hand-crafted doll. "I found this on my way here," he said, still smiling. "It appears to be one of yours, and she had the sweetest tale to tell me."

Giuseppe marched over to take the doll out of the man's hands roughly. Once he had her in his clutches again, however, his touch softened.

"She doesn't look harmed," the toy maker noted. "At least, externally. What did you do to her?"

"Nothing," the man replied at once, as though expecting the question. "At least, not permanent. You should know, though, before you go around accusing people, that she told me where your son was."

Giuseppe nearly dropped the doll out of his hands. Realizing his error, he quickly placed the doll over on a nearby table where she would be out of the way.

"Tell me," he demanded of the man. "Tell me where I can find my boy!"

The darkly-clad man laughed in response. "You really don't listen much. Do you, old man?"

Giuseppe bristled, but said nothing in reply.

"I said," the man went on, giving his cane a practiced spin, "I knew where your son 'was'. He's gone from this world now. A ghost inhabiting a cursed painting, it would seem, spirited your son away to the Ghost Zone."

Were he able to, Giuseppe would have paled with shock.

"Don't be so alarmed, though," the man added. "I'm sure there's a way to get him back. Your doll has all the details. She's a nifty little spy, incidentally. I may have to borrow her sometime."

As the man began to walk toward the front door, Giuseppe snarled, "Haven't you taken enough from me, Wintermoor?"

The man called Wintermoor waved and continued on to the door, unlocking it with his cane. "I've already given what I have to you, Giuseppe," he said smoothly. "It is your turn to give to me. Tootles!"

Giuseppe stood alone in his shop, the door bell tinkling to signal that Wintermoor was well and truly gone from his place of business.

"At least I know he's within reach now," Giuseppe said in relief, turning to the doll. "Now, tell me everything. And don't worry about the bad man. I'm going to make sure he never hurts any of us ever again."


	7. S1E7 -- The Shadows Under Innsmouth

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

Episode 7 – The Shadows Under Innsmouth Academy

" _What lies beneath their waters!"_

Episode Guide: Randy and Dexter confront a ghost who escaped their clutches last time while Alice and Dani investigate strange goings-on at a rival private school.

"How is the experiment?"

Professor Wraitheon looked up from her monitor at Alice's question.

"Within acceptable parameters," the professor responded, using the handle remote to slide her wheelchair back, then bringing it around to check the read-outs on a nearby tablet.

"This," she continued, holding it up briefly so Alice could see, "concerns me more, though."

Alice moved over from the equipment table where she'd been cleaning to peer at the tablet from behind the Professor's chair.

"What's that?" she inquired. "Some sort of amoeba sample?"

"You'd think that," the professor replied, laughing. "But, no. It's actually the readings from a scan I took of the samples you brought in."

Alice frowned, then realized what the professor meant by 'samples'.

"Those ghost blobs that were scattered all over the city?" she asked, worried. "Those were 'samples'?"

"Yes," the professor intoned, not looking up from her tablet. "I can see where you'd make the mistake of assuming they were all separate ghosts, but the fact is, they were all divided parts of a single whole."

"From where?" Alice pressed eagerly, leaning forward in the hopes that she might glean something from the confusing charts and rows of sequences scrolling down the professor's tablet.

"No idea," Professor Wraitheon mused, moving her hand slightly over the chair's controls so that it slid forward. "But they share too many common variables to be individual specters. Finding their point of origin will be difficult."

"How come?" Alice asked, following behind in the professor's metaphorical steps. "Can't you just run a scan for the... what is it? 'Ghost signature'?"

"Close enough," Professor Wraitheon commended. "And I already have done that. The signal is too weak for some reason. Wherever those 'blobs', as you call them, came from, the signature has died down too much right now for a scan to pick up."

Alice glanced around the Clocktower, looking for something. What, exactly, she had no idea, but the conversation was going nowhere for her. The Professor was lost in thought, and nothing she suggested seemed to help with the situation.

"Strange, though," Wraitheon continued, moving over to study a singular sample floating ambivalently inside a large tube resting on a table. "These samples absorb ectoplasm. It's almost as though they were feeding off it. It makes me wonder what other properties they have, and what they're using the ecto for."

"Is there something I can do to help?" Alice was practically pleading now. "I mean, anything at all. I'm almost done cleaning up, and..."

Professor Wraitheon chuckling softly as though Alice had just said something adorable. "You're fine," she said in a dismissive tone. "I'm going to be a while. When you're done cleaning up, feel free to head home."

"Oh, okay."

Alice turned to go back to the table where she'd been working. Behind her, the Professor moved back and forth, checking various read-outs on her monitors. It sounded as though the older woman was completely absorbed in her work. Therefore, it came as a surprise to Alice when the Professor asked her a question.

"How is school?"

Alice paused in the middle of wiping the table clean and turned, surprised to find the Professor watching her closely.

"Oh, ah..." Alice had to stop for a moment to think about what exactly the Professor had asked her. "It's... fine, I guess. Peaslee is the same. Randy is still chasing after that ghost girl, and Dexter was elected Student Body President. I can't remember if we mentioned that part to you."

"You did," the Professor said, nodding. "Is he enjoying the additional workload?"

Alice laughed. "Dexter?" she asked incredulously, giving the Professor a look. "All he does is complain about how hard being President is for him."

"Well, I imagine he finds ghost hunting more rewarding," the Professor mused, pausing for a moment after she finished speaking to think on that statement. "Which is a surprise, but still..."

"I know what you mean," Alice confided, which resulted in them both laughing together.

"Randy seems to be improving, at least," the Professor went on, smiling to herself. "As are you, of course. That went without saying."

"Thank you." Alice blushed. "I mean that."

"I know you do," the Professor assured her. "It's good to see you so passionate about this. Most people assume it to be a hobby of sorts. Very few feel the need to face the danger every day."

"I'm ready," Alice declared, then blushed again when she realized how cheesy it sounded. "Really, though. I... I'm really glad you chose me, out of all of us, to lead the team."

"I felt as though it was the best choice to make," the Professor said plainly. "You have the most potential of the three. And you understand the risks."

Alice felt herself glow at her mentor's praise.

"Speaking of risks," Professor Wraitheon went on, her voice growing grave now. "You mentioned Randy having a greater interest in the ghost girl at your school."

Alice looked away for a moment, feeling uncomfortable at the Professor's probing.

"He is," she confessed, turning back to face the Professor's gaze. "I've done everything I know to do to try and talk him out of it. He doesn't want to listen."

"Randy has the makings of a fine ghost hunter," the Professor said, removing her glasses for a moment. "Not as fine as yourself, but there's talent and dedication there underneath his lackadaisical attitude. I admit that when the ghost girl first appeared, I thought she could be useful to us. Randy may have taken my words the wrong way."

"What should we do?" Alice asked anxiously.

Professor Wraitheon placed her glasses back onto her face, then sighed wearily. "For now, nothing," she stated, though it sounded dissatisfied. "The ghost girl is powerful. That much is clear. I don't want any of you fighting her unless she gives you no other alternative."

Alice swallowed back something in her throat and nodded in compliance.

"We won't," she promised, then added begrudgingly, "I doubt I could convince Randy or Dexter to fight with me against her. Unless she killed someone."

"Let us hope it never comes to that," the Professor said. "But for now, don't let it get to you. The ghost girl will reveal her true colors soon enough, and when that happens, we'll deal with it."

Alice smiled, feeling relieved.

"For now, head home," the Professor told her with a wave of the hand. "You've done enough for tonight."

"Right," Alice said, nodding. "If anything unusual happens at school, I'll be sure to report it to you."

"I know you will," Professor Wraitheon said, watching Alice leave with a small smile on her face. "I know you will."

Roland Olmstead had always loved to swim. His parents took him to the lake in the woods near Kingsport Falls during the summer every year since he was seven. During middle school, Roland was known for swimming laps in the local community pool. Since then, he'd dreamed of joining the swim team.

At the moment, though, he was more concerned with staying alive.

Roland slid to a stop behind a patch of bushes. It was dark, and the shadows from the street lamps and security lights stretched close enough in his direction that he trusted they would help conceal him. From not far away, he heard the sounds. They were coming closer, and if they found them, Roland knew he was a dead man.

Even thinking about himself as a 'man' was enough to make Roland smirk, dire as the situation was. Roland could barely call himself sixteen. Granted, years of doing laps had afforded him a very fit body. Roland liked to consider himself good looking, in different circumstances, mind. His good looks would do nothing to get him out of the mess he was facing at present.

"Dad's gonna kill me when he gets wind of this," Roland foolishly said aloud as he watched the slinking culprits work their way closer.

One turned sharply, almost like they'd heard Roland speak. Roland felt a pair of eyes pierce him with their gaze, as though striking down to the core of his very soul. Fear gripped his whole body, and in a blind moment of panic, Roland did the most reckless thing his addled brain could come up with: he ran.

"There!" someone behind him cried out in the distance. "He's running!"

Roland tried to put on the steam. He wasn't a track man, but his exercises affording him a level of stamina. Unfortunately, he couldn't outrun a whole crowd. Several of them had gone in a direction perpendicular to his, flanking him. Roland had to skid to a stop again to avoid racing headlong into their clutches.

"Look, this has all been just a huge mistake," he tried, hoping for diplomacy. "A misunderstanding. I just need to run home and–"

"But you are home." The girl's voice came from behind him near his ear, causing Roland to jump back in shock away from her. "With us. And soon, you will be with Mother."

"How the hell–?" Roland demanded, horrified by how silent she moved.

"Your new sister is right," came another voice, this time from behind from the group who'd flanked Roland as he'd come close to the school gates. "You're just trying to avoid the inevitable, Olmstead. Come with us."

"Be with us," came another girl's voice, stepping up to join her sister's side.

"Abide with us," said a senior.

"Forever." Each student that surrounded Roland chanted together, repeating the word as though it were part of some fearsome spell. "Forever."

"Forever."

"Forever."

"Forever."

They were still chanting it when the group reached the pool house. Roland had fought them the whole way, but their grips were like vices. Each pair of hands stank like the fishing docks on the coast of town, and their fingers were like ice.

"Stop it!" Roland screamed, pleading at this point. "Lemme go! I just wanna go home."

"You're home now." The boy holding the pool house door open grinned, moving aside so that the ones holding Roland down could pass through with him. "And home is where you belong."

"With us," one of the ones who held Roland whispered.

The pool building was dark. There were already some gathered inside, dressed in dark robes and carrying ceremonial candles. Roland realized that the whole swim team must have shown up for him. The ones giving chase had broken from the ranks to bring him here while the rest set everything up.

"We're ready to begin," the swim team captain said, loud enough for Roland to hear. "Take your places, everyone. We're about to welcome our newest brethren."

Each one of the late arrivals was taking a robe now and wrapping themselves up in it. Candles were handed out and lit, before the robed swim team members took their place at a spot around the Olympic-sized swimming pool.

"Come," the captain said, holding an ornamental dagger out as he directed the few still clutching Roland. "Bring him to the diving board."

Roland tried to struggle, but his strength had failed him. He'd never been scared of the water before, but there was something about the dark depths in front of him that sapped every last bit of courage from his heart. The ones leading him were the only in attendance who didn't have robes on. The captain, by contrast, was the only robed figure not holding a candle.

Of course, the dagger probably meant he didn't have to.

"We are gathered on this night to welcome our newest member," the captain spoke, his voice carrying out over the water of the pool, which seemed to lap and sway in answer. "Tonight, we lose a member of the swim team, but we welcome into our arms a new kinsman."

Roland felt himself being pushed forward out onto the diving board. The captain swiveled out of the way and somehow ended up behind him. Roland stood to his feet and realized he was but a step or so away from the diving board's edge.

"Do not be afraid." The captain then raised the dagger, and Roland closed his eyes to prepare himself for the slice of the blade through his flesh. "She's waiting."

When Roland opened his eyes, it was became the dagger never touched him. The captain had his arm stretched out now over the side of the board. Blood dripped down from a cut in his palm into the water below them. The water beneath began to mist and boil, as if somehow heating up in the immediately area.

"This pool's not heated," Roland said, astounded by what occurred to him in that moment.

The captain smiled at Roland's words. "Go to her," he said, before shoving Roland off the diving board into the water. "She loves you."

Even before Roland hit the water, he knew there was something deep down in the pool. Furthermore, the pool was far deeper than it should have been. He'd swam in the school pool many times before now, but it never ran this deep. Until tonight, rather, and Roland realized he was never going to swim again.

He would have screamed for help from what he saw lurking in the lowest depths, but his lungs were filling with water.

It was the salty water of the deep ocean, not the chlorine-based tap that the school used.

The thing there reached for Roland, and that was the last thing he remembered.

He wished that he could forget even that, if it were possible.

Roland hoped it was.

Dani rubbed sleep from her eyes as she wandered past the old iron gates of Arkham High. The security guards standing at their posts just beyond them each turned to give her a look. Dani gave each one a wave as she continued on, ignoring their stares.

"As you were, boys," she called out, smirking.

Up ahead, Dani thought she saw someone waiting by the front doors. Stopping to stand on her tip toes, Dani peeked up over the heads of the crowd and recognized Randy. Randy, meanwhile, noticed her looking and waved.

"Hey," he called out, once Dani had moved in close enough. "I was... uh, wonderin' if you were... comin' in this way."

"It's the front door," Dani pointed out, enjoying herself. "Most people go this way."

"Yeah," Randy replied, laughing nervously. "Folks take the side route to get out. 'Cept that's just us, and only when shit's goin' down bad."

"True." Dani didn't laugh, but something inside her said that might be for the better. "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"

Randy tensed, flexed his fingers, and raised up. "Ah, yeah," he confessed. "There was, but... I'd rather not do it here, iffin' ya don' mind."

Dani shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind," she said. "Come on, though. If we don't go inside, we'll be late for class. I'd rather not deal with Principal Peaslee today."

It was perhaps the intervention of a very bored and exceptionally petty deity that resulted in Dani spotting Principal Peaslee standing just inside the main corridor. Dani hesitated for a moment, but then pressed forward as if in defiance. She was not about to let Peaslee intimidate her.

"Miss, ah... Kraven!"

Dani grit her teeth together and stopped, causing Randy to bump into her arm. The teenage boy looked flustered for a moment and jumped back, blushing.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Randy said very quickly. "I, uh... didn' mean..."

"No, it's my bad," Dani assured him as Principal Peaslee moved toward her. "What is with you, though? You're talking like Peaslee's become your speech coach. Did you and Dexter switch personalities?'

"Miss Kraven!" Principal Peaslee repeated, stopping a few feet from where Dani stood so that his frame caused the most traffic problems in the hall. Peaslee was by no means a large or intimidating man, but being that he was the principal of Arkham High, students avoiding being anywhere near him.

"I must speak with you, ah... briefly," Peaslee continued. "Come with me!"

"Coming," Dani said wearily, moving through the growing crowd of students. "I guess I can afford to be late if the school principal forces me to. Which is fairly ironic, now that I think about it."

Randy lingered back for a moment, watching Dani go and silently cursing himself. "Way to go, limp-dick," he grumbled to himself, feeling miserable. "Can' be much more o' a spaz 'n that."

Dani, meanwhile, followed after Peaslee as he led her toward the reception area. Dani guessed that Peaslee was leading her to his office, which lay just beyond. Sure enough, Peaslee continued on past the receptionist to his office door, stopping long enough to point to the metal detectors, indicating she should pass through both. Dani hung her head, then proceeded to do as she was directed. She was not surprised to see that Peaslee had already entered his office and was waiting for her behind his desk.

The surprise was finding Alice waiting there as well.

"Please have a seat, Miss.. ah, Kraven, if you would."

Dani stood in the door frame for a moment longer, lingering there while Peaslee gestured insistently toward one of the vacant seats in front of his desk. Thinking it over, Dani opted to take the one farthest from where Alice sat.

"Good, then," Peaslee said, once Dani had lowered herself into the wooden chair. "It seems we have some rather... ah, exciting news to share."

Dani gave the principal a rather deadpan expression. She was joined in this by Alice, who seemed just as underwhelmed by the revelation.

"Are either of you young ladies... ah, familiar with the Witchhouse Institute?"

Dani frowned and shook her head, but the name appeared to register somewhere with Alice. "Isn't that the creepy-looking house on the far side of town?" Alice asked while Dani listened carefully.

"Ah... yes, the old mansion," Peaslee verified, nodding. "It was converted some time ago. A private organization runs out of it, and, ah... they have connections to the prestigious Innsmouth Academy."

"Sorry," Dani said, bored again from hearing so much of Peaslee's voice. "New girl, remember? What's the Innsmouth Academy? And while we're at it, what sort of group names themselves the Witchhouse Institute?"

"That's what I wanted to know," Alice muttered, "the first time I heard it. You get used to things being named like that here in Kingsport Falls after a while."

Dani was surprised by Alice's willingness to speak to her, especially while Peaslee was sitting so close, but then she recalled the girl's relationship with the principal.

"I guess Innsmouth Academy isn't all that much better," she agreed thoughtfully.

"Innsmouth Academy is a private preparatory school whom the Witchhouse Institute has... ah, made donations to in the past," Peaslee explained, giving Dani the impression that he'd much rather be principal of it instead of Arkham. "It has quite the, ah... stellar reputation."

"My parents tried to get me in there," Alice revealed, sounding less than thrilled. "But their roster was full, so I was wait-listed."

This seemed to please Peaslee a great deal. "That's quite wonderful news," the principal said, grinning. "It seems the Witchhouse Institute has requested that Innsmouth Academy recruit students from the local district as part of a... ah, new scholarship program. They requested that I select two students to... ah, tour their premises."

Dani waited a moment: to hear that there had been a mistake, that the principal had developed a very bizarre sense of humor, or even that this was part of some elaborate Internet camera prank.

"But why me?" she asked finally, just as Alice broke her own silence with, "But why her?"

Dani glared daggers toward Alice, who tried to act nonplussed. "I mean, I get why you might ask me," Alice went on, staring at Peaslee. "A little, I mean. Maybe..."

"You have one of the highest GPAs in the region," Peaslee affirmed, looking pleased with himself for whatever the reason.

"Right," Alice went on, jerking a thumb toward Dani. "But she's brand-new. The gh... I mean, Dani's been here maybe two months? And I know the semester's nearly over, but still! She shouldn't be eligible."

"The selection of the students was entrusted to me," Peaslee responded, and it sounded like he resented being questioned by a student. "I'm sure that Miss Kraven has... ah, numerous talents to offer."

Even Dani felt that sounded dubious. Suddenly, for little reason other than the fact that she didn't trust the man, Dani suspected Peaslee was lying. If her ghost sense could detect when someone was being untruthful, she would likely be firing off wisps of icy breath right then and there.

"That's all they want, then?" Dani pressed, still curious despite her suspicions. "We go in to this nosebleed school, take a look around, and nothing else?"

"There is a scholarship," Peaslee added, though it sounded like even he didn't believe Dani qualified at this point. "You'll have to answer questions, I'm sure. They'll want to know more about you... where you come from, and, ah... so forth."

"Lots of people want to know more on that subject," Alice muttered.

Dani rolled her eyes and ignored Alice again. "I guess I could go," she said, thinking the prospect over. "I mean, don't I need my legal guardians' permission or something first?"

"My parents will demand that I go," Alice said, speaking up as though issuing a challenge. "I know them. They'll be thrilled enough to wonder why I would even bother asking."

"Excellent," Peaslee said, as if the matter were settled. "The Witchhouse Institute is sending transportation to, ah... take both of you to the academy. It should be here shortly. And I took the liberty of, ah... notifying both of your parents before informing the two of you."

"Shortly?" Dani wondered. "What would have happened if either one of us had said 'no'?"

Peaslee promptly ignored Dani's question. "There's no need for, ah... concern," Peaslee went on, looking away from Dani to Alice. "It's just a quick tour of the place. Neither of you is being, ah... pushed to make a commitment yet."

"I notice there is a 'yet' in that sentence," Dani muttered.

It was getting noticeably more difficult for the principal to avoid hearing Dani's remarks. "You'll both need to fill out, ah... forms to exempt you from attending classes for the day, of course."

"Oh well," Dani said, standing. "It's a day off from school, at least."

"For once," Alice agreed, getting to her own feet, "you say something that makes sense."

"That's the spirit, ah... ladies!" Principal Peaslee was actually smiling at them now, which was even more disturbing. "Look to the bright side of things."

Dani waited until they were both out of the principal's office to speak again. "Either this is a setup for some kind of reality show," she began, feeling ill, "or Peaslee has been replaced by a ghost pod person."

"We'd never be so lucky for it to be the latter," Alice grumbled, closing the office door behind her before moving around the counter to request the proper forms. "Though, shouldn't you notice something like that."

Dani was apprehensive about talking 'ghost stuff' with Alice, much less in front of the receptionist. In terms of the latter, however, this proved unnecessary. The receptionist barely noticed either of them, passing the forms on to Alice and ignoring Dani entirely.

"My ghost sense didn't go off," Dani informed, keeping her voice low anyway. "So it's got to be a hidden camera prank."

"Figures," Alice said, scribbling away on her form while Dani let hers sit idly on the counter. "Those things get more and more desperate every year."

It occurred to Dani that Alice was being civil to her, though she suspected this was because the young girl was distracted momentarily. Sure enough, when Alice finished, she slid the paper across the counter to the receptionist–who's attention was buried into her iPod–and walked away without a word. Dani sighed and followed, leaving her own blank form untouched.

"I guess Randy went to class," she mused, entering the hallway behind Alice.

"Why wouldn't he?" Alice asked, looking suspiciously at Dani all of a sudden.

"He wanted to ask me something earlier," Dani explained, seeing no reason to keep it a secret. "I guess I'll find out what he wanted after school today."

Alice seemed apprehensive upon learning this, but Dani wasn't in a mood to indulge the girl's feelings. She had, after all, been hostile toward her despite Dani's attempts to act friendly. In silence, Dani walked down the hall and out the front doors, leaving Alice to trail behind.

The sun outside was overcast, but a stray gleam of light pierced the cloud bank. Dani shielded her eyes from it irritably and stood for a moment, wondering if she shouldn't blow the whole thing off. It would mess with Peaslee, which had appeal by itself. Alice exited through the front doors behind her, letting one swing out too far and strike Dani in the back.

"Ow! Watch it," she warned, giving Alice a dirty glare. "Look, I know you don't have to like me, but if we're gonna be stuck together for the whole day, would it be too much to ask that you treat me like a person?"

"I dunno," Alice replied acidly with. " _Are_ you a real person?"

Dani's eyes flashed glowing green in anger. Alice tried to act as though she barely noticed, but a trickle of sweat dripped down the side of her face. Dani stared into the face of her would-be assailant. Alice had come to school that day dressed like she was ready for a board meeting. Dani was decked out in her usual neo-gothic ensemble of reds and blacks.

"I'm solid enough to give you a good punch in the face," Dani warned while Alice summoned her courage and glared right back. "If that's what you're angling for."

"Try it," Alice retorted with. "I can have you sucked up inside a Polter-Vac in seconds."

Dani laughed. "Like I would need to waste ghost powers on you," she challenged, earning herself even more of Alice's ire.

"Like you'd really fight fair," Alice tried, seemingly shocked by Dani's words. "I bet you've never won a fight in your whole afterlife. At least, not one where you didn't have the upper-hand thanks to your powers."

Dani's face seemed to relax, but the lack of tension did not extend to her eyes. If anything, they burned hotter and brighter with rage. Alice forced herself to remain still, to not take a step back.

"I've fought before," Dani said, her voice growing quieter with each word. "I've seen things that I wish I could forget. I've fought battles I thought I would lose, and I've fought even though it looked like I was going to die."

"You're a ghost," Alice cut in, seeing an opening in Dani's speech. "Or half-ghost, anyway. You should be half-dead as a result."

"Ugh!" Dani threw her arms up. "What is it with you and the ghost thing? You haven't been a ghost hunter long enough to be this hardcore about it. Seriously, what is the deal?"

The question threw Alice off.

"Don't try to tell me it's because you were destined to or some bullshit," Dani went on, enjoying her vent now that she was building up a head of steam. "I've met those types too, and you don't fit the bill."

Alice opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Her face crumbled slightly before Dani's eyes. It looked as though Dani had hit a major nerve, but she was still too angry with Alice to care.

"Alice!"

Someone was calling out for Alice, which got the girl to turn toward the voice and break the stand-off between her and Dani. Dani looked as well, spotting a couple headed their way.

"Mom?" Alice called out, slightly surprised. "Dad?"

The man and woman were far enough away for it to have been difficult to tell without Alice's affirmation. Upon closer inspection, however, Dani realized there was no need for that. There was zero mistaking the similarities in their fashion sense when held up next to Alice's own. The couple were wearing dark blue three-piece business suits that had been immaculately tailored. Dani guessed that the whole family shopped at the same place.

"Dani!"

Hearing her own name called out, Dani turned in the opposite direction. Two figures she knew at once were coming down the walkway from the other end.

"Aunt Caroline," she called back. "Uncle Paul!"

Aunt Caroline was dressed in a long, black dress that might not have been too out-of-place at a Renaissance Fair. A dark shawl lay over her shoulders below a hat that helped conceal some of her long hair. Platform shoes made Dani's aunt seem taller than she was–on par with Uncle Paul, who walked alongside her.

Uncle Paul was wearing his usual steampunk-themed 19th century suit that was nominally reserved for giving tours in the museum. This meant they must have come straight from work.

"Is everything all right?" Uncle Paul asked; he and Aunt Caroline reaching Dani first. "We got a phone call from the principal, and–"

"–we assumed you weren't in trouble," Alice's mother said curtly, as she and her husband reached Alice next. "It seems ludicrous, I know, but–"

"–he was talking very fast," Aunt Caroline picked up, almost as if she and Alice's parents were psychically in tune with one another. "Something about a school and you going places. It was all a bit vague–"

"–but if this is about your extra-credit assignments not being turned in on time," Alice's father pipped up.

"Dad, it's fine, really," Alice said wearily, trying to regain control of the situation.

"I got invited to tour this upper-crust school," Dani explained, giving her aunt and uncle the cliff notes version. "Principal Peaslee said he had called you, but–"

"–I thought he meant that you were just being told what was going on," Alice finished.

"We need to have a talk with that man," Alice's mother said insistently, still using the same curt tone as before. "This is inexcusable. I thought for certain something horrible had happened, like you'd forgotten your homework!"

"Which school is this?" Uncle Paul inquired, keeping himself far more calm.

"Innsmouth Academy," Dani answered. "I've never heard of it, but–"

"Innsmouth Academy!"

Alice's mother was looking past her daughter's head now at the mention of the school. Dani turned and saw this while her aunt and uncle looked up from her to face Alice's mother.

"Is your friend really going to tour Innsmouth?" Alice's father pressed, looking positively gleeful. "Is that what this is about?"

"Hi," Aunt Caroline said, holding her hand up in a wave. "I'm sorry. I don't believe we've been introduced. My name is Caroline Kraven and this is my husband, Paul."

"Allan Halsey-Wong," Alice's father responded with, offering a hand through Alice and Dani's bodies to Uncle Paul. "Dean of students at Christchurch Medical School. And this is my wife, Megan."

"Megan Halsey-Wong," Alice's mother introduced, not offering her hand. "Lawyer, legal adviser to the school district, and partner at Nodens, Olkoth, and Nyarlathotep legal firm."

"Nice to meet you both," Uncle Paul said, accepting the hand Alice's dad offered to him.

"Do either of you know anything else about this?" Aunt Caroline asked, keeping a cool head about herself despite Megan Halsey-Wong's walled off demeanor. "I don't believe the school principal made things very clear to us."

"When is the Innsmouth dean expecting us?" Allan Halsey-Wong asked his daughter, ignoring Aunt Caroline's question. "You'll need a ride there, obviously."

"I wish we'd had more time to prepare," Megan grumbled, folding her arms in front of her. "Alice was wait-listed last time. She should've been given the chance to add to her portfolio first. It's the most sensible thing to do."

"Yes, but if she's being invited back," Allan broke in, "it shouldn't be an issue."

Alice rolled her eyes and looked very much as though she wanted to disappear into the ground. Dani felt the brief nudges of pity from her conscience, and responded by reminding it that Alice had threatened to attack her moments ago. The nagging inside her persisted, but Dani managed to tune it out once her aunt and uncle began speaking again.

"Will you be needing a ride?" Uncle Paul inquired.

"We shut down the museum after we got the call," Aunt Caroline added. "If you want to take the tour, we can drop you off. It's just that–"

"I'm good," Dani reassured them, grinning. "Principal Peaslee did mention that the school would be sending us a ride. And I know you guys are busy."

Uncle Paul gave Dani an appreciative smile at this.

"We can always take time away," Aunt Caroline added, "if you need us."

Dani felt herself blush. "I–thanks. And, sorry about this. I didn't find out about it until I got to school. Peaslee sort of sprang this on the both of us."

Dani turned around for emphasis and found Alice looking shame faced while her parents chattered away among themselves, ignorant of their daughter's discomfort. Alice noticed Dani watching her and turned her eye to Dani's aunt and uncle.

"Your parents are weird," she stated in a low, flat tone.

"They're my aunt and uncle," Dani retorted, a bit more defensively than she'd meant to.

"Still weird," Alice decided, giving a nonchalant shrug. "I guess I can't ask which one you got the powers from, then."

Thankfully, a limousine pulled up alongside where the six of them were standing. Dani wondered for a moment how she could have missed a whole limo driving through the school grounds, but then, the fact that she was standing in front of an actual limousine shattered the thought. Everyone else appeared to be functioning along those same lines.

"This is," Aunt Caroline tried, looking befuddled, "a bit much, isn't it?"

"I'd say so," Uncle Paul agreed, leaning into his wife.

"No one ever offered me a ride in a limo to school before," Alice's mother said tersely, glaring at the limo like it was insulting her intelligence.

"Is this a service we'll have to pay for afterward?" Allan asked, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"I guess this is our ride," Dani said, still staring.

"Your grasp of the obvious is remarkable." Though Alice quipped, she too was staring at the sleek, black limousine in awe. "Nevertheless, I'm willing to occupy the same space as you for a limited time if it means getting inside this thing."

"I'm willing to accept your terms."

To verify her statement, Dani stepped forward and opened the door, allowing Alice to enter first. Alice slid inside, pausing to take in the plush interior and spacious design.

"Sure you two don't want to come along?" Dani asked, turning back to her aunt and uncle. "It _is_ a free limo ride."

"Well..." Uncle Paul began, rolling his eyes eagerly back toward his wife.

"You go on ahead," Aunt Caroline insisted, giving her husband a playful swat on the shoulder. "This is your big day, and you wouldn't want either of us to embarrass you, right?"

"Do I look like I'd be embarrassed," Dani called back as she began to slide inside herself, indicating her choice of clothing. "But... thanks."

Aunt Caroline gave Dani a wave as she lowered herself inside. "We'll be along behind you," her aunt assured her, smiling. "I'm sure the Halsey-Wongs know the way. Speaking of, shouldn't we car pool?"

Dani closed the door behind her and settled into her seat, letting the adults sort out their own travel details. As the limo pulled forward, there came a tapping on the window. Dani and Alice each looked and saw Alice's father running alongside the limousine on Alice's side, lowering his head so that it was visible through the window.

"Be sure to ask about Innsmouth's biology programs," Allan Halsey-Wong yelled past Dani at Alice through the glass. "You'll need those to get enrolled in a good medical school."

"And don't forget to mention all of your previous extra-curriculars," Megan added, running alongside the limo on the opposite side. "Including the ones from middle school! They shouldn't care too much that you dropped out of the gymnastics club."

"And remember–!"

Alice's father had been on the verge of saying something else. As though he could hear the commotion going on outside, the drive picked that moment to floor the gas, rocketing the limo across the parking lot and through the front gates of Arkham High as fast as the vehicle could allow.

"Remind me to tip the man," Alice muttered.

"I'll do it myself," Dani offered, buckling herself up. "Sheesh, and I thought my big sister Sam's parents were pushy."

"Oh, so you've got a big sister now?" Alice challenged skeptically, buckling herself in as well. "Wait, your big sister Sam's 'parents'?"

Alice paused as she said the last part, watching Dani's response.

"It's... complicated," Dani began.

"What isn't about you?" Alice retorted, rolling her eyes again as she settled back in her seat. "Why don't we just enjoy the ride in silence. If you going to avoid every question with 'it's complicated'–"

"I meant," Dani tried, feeling frustrated, and realizing that she had no clue how long the limo ride would be. "Look, I actually have three older sisters... sort of."

Alice looked blithely across the space in the back of the limo between herself and Dani. "Go on," she said, keeping her voice as neutral as she could. "Are they all ghosts as well?"

"None of them are ghosts at all," Dani countered. "Jazz is my actual big sister. She's the oldest of the three. Then there's my older brother's wife, and his ex-girlfriend from high school. All three are like older sisters to me, so I claim them as such."

Alice was listening, and it looked as though she wasn't buying a word of what Dani had shared with her so far.

"Your older brother's ex?"

It was Dani's turn to shrug. "They were close for years," she said. "My brother and Sam had been friends long before they dated. It didn't work out, but she stayed close to the family. I really look up to her."

"And his actual wife is okay with that?" Alice pressed.

"Valerie," Dani corrected. "Her name's Valerie. And she is, believe it or not. Granted, they weren't always on the best of terms, but–"

"Does she have ghost powers?"

It sounded to Dani like Alice had been wanting to ask that question from the get-go. "No one else in my family has ghost powers," Dani revealed, looking out the window to avoid Alice's stare. "Except for my older brother, I mean. He's where I get my powers from."

Alice stared dumbfounded at Dani, which Dani could see in the reflection of the window.

"Okay," Alice said softly. "And I thought I was confused before. Not sure I really want to know how you got your powers now. Or ever!"

"I'm a clone."

Alice went very still.

"Some asshole tried to clone my brother once a long time ago," Dani explained, still watching Alice via her reflection. "He wanted a perfect clone, but none of his attempts were stable enough to last long. Except for me. Nobody knows why I'm still alive, but I have my brother's powers."

Dani finally looked at Alice properly, who was sitting perfectly still as she listening.

"I'm a clone of him," Dani said, "but I'm female. Maybe that has something to do with it, but nobody is sure. His family took me in after a while, and I've lived with them since."

"Your parents are ghost hunters," Alice said, like she was finally coming to terms with something. "And they adopted a half-ghost clone of their son; who, incidentally, also has ghost powers like yours?"

"That's it," Dani said neutrally, giving Alice a nod for good measure.

Alice was silent for a few minutes.

"Maybe things aren't so bad at home after all," she mused softly to herself.

Dani snorted, not bothering to disguise her disbelief. "How bad could things possibly be?" she challenged. "Your parents seem... enthusiastic enough about you going to this Innsmouth place."

Alice actually burst out laughing. Though it was a full-throttle case of the chortles, there was absolutely no mirth to be heard in it whatsoever. Dani listened for a moment, both stunned and curious to see how long Alice would keep it up.

"Okay," Alice gasped out three minutes and seven seconds later, after whipping the tears from her eyes. "You score points for that. It was funny."

"I wasn't trying to be," Dani muttered, annoyed all over again. "I mean it. At least they care, because I can promise you that not everyone has that."

Alice wiped her hands on the limo seat and sighed wearily. "They care because of how it makes me look," she explained. "And them by extension."

Dani waited.

"Well, go on," she pressured when Alice didn't follow up on her own revelation.

"You heard them earlier," Alice reminded. "My dad's the Dean of Students at a medical college and my mother's a big shot lawyer. They remind everyone of that. And that's just the beginning. I have two older siblings who are out of college. My oldest sister's a doctor and my brother is a lawyer, just like my father and mother are."

Alice seemed almost manic now, as if she'd been holding back this speech for years.

"I have another older sister in college right now," she went on, venting for all she was worth. "She's going to go into advertising as soon as she's out. My parents keep talking about how she'll be the head of an advert firm one day. And then, there's my baby brother."

Alice took in a deep breath.

"He's only eight, and can already play classical pieces on the piano. We're talking concert level here. My parents think he should already be on stage, but they're going to ship him off to this big school for the gifted down in Florida the minute the place has an opening."

Dani had already begun forming a theory before Alice finished. "And then," she said plainly, "there's you."

Those four words seemed to penetrate Alice's shield of disdain better than if Dani had simply settled for insulting her. The girl stared bland-faced at Danielle, afraid to speak aloud again for fear of giving more of herself away. The silence was enough in Dani's mind to confirm her suspicion.

"At least the ghost hunting makes more sense now," Dani finished.

Alice seemed to regain a bit of her earlier bravado. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked venomously. "Are you trying to start something with me again?"

Dani opened her mouth, ready to respond to Alice's words with some of her own–and perhaps a couple of well-placed ghost ray blasts to punctuate them. However, the limo driver chose that exact moment to swerve into a sharp left turn that rocked the rear cab. Dani briefly lost control and went intangible, phasing through her seat belt and falling face down onto the floor. She was spared from falling out of the limo entirely by going solid immediately after leaving the comfort of her seat.

"Hey, Jeeves!" Alice roared, clutching the door handle on her side for security. "A little warning next time, maybe?"

"The hell was that all about?" Dani wondered, getting up onto her knees. "Where are we, anyway?"

Again, as if the driver could hear them, the limo began to slow into a stop. Dani stood–having to crouch down inside the small space–and spotted a large, opulent building up ahead.

"Is that–?" she began, pointing at the gothic structure in the distance with the huge, circular dome built beside it.

"That's Innsmouth Academy," Alice confirmed, without looking out the window. "Looks like we've arrived."

Dani rolled down the window to get a better look at the perfectly-manicured lawn, the sparkling water flowing from fountains, the polished statues that stood erect at attention, and the architectural marvel that was the school's main building.

"Why is it I feel like this is gonna be worse than if we'd stayed at Arkham and gone to class like usual?" Dani asked herself.

"This is Innsmouth Academy," said the limo driver, who, while Dani was taking in the campus, had gotten out and come around.

The driver opened the door, taking care since Dani still had her head sticking out from it, and stepped back to allow both girls exit. The driver was a tall, thin man dressed in a long dress jacket and top hat with a beard and long, dark hair. Dani gave him a nod as she climbed out and stood with Alice, who gave the driver no attention whatsoever.

"Welcome to the upper-crust," Alice told Dani in a warning tone. "Everything here is designed to make you feel inferior and less of a person."

Dani glanced down at herself, specifically at the choice of clothing she'd worn for that day.

"Gee," she said, smirking. "I wonder which one of us is going to be more intimidated."

Alice scowled. "Life's just one big joke for you, isn't it?" Taking a deep breath, Alice stepped forward away from the limo. "We're at Innsmouth Academy. This is the place my parents have been trying to get me into since before middle school started. And they're going to be here any second now. With me!"

"And me," Dani added, "and my aunt and uncle, assuming they didn't get lost."

Alice's head fell forward in defeat. "Out of all the people I could have been paired with to come here," she moaned wearily, "why did it have to be you? And THEM!"

Dani strode past Alice toward the main building. "Luck of the draw, I guess. Are you going to keep making a scene out here in the driveway, or come inside and wait for our parents to show up."

Alice grimaced at the thought, but slowly lifted her heavy feet up to begin the drudge march toward the school. Behind the two girls–who continued to snark and make sarcastic jabs at each other every step of the way up to the main building–the limo driver grinned.

"'Luck of the draw', huh? Ghost child."

A slow grin spilled over his face as he rounded the limo for the driver's seat. Climbing inside behind the wheel, the thin man adjusted the rear view mirror so that he could watch as Dani and Alice entered the building one after the other.

"I hope you enjoy spending the day exploring the campus," he said, still grinning. "I'm sure you'll make a huge 'splash' here."

Randy was in a foul mood by the time break period rolled around. He'd made a C-plus on a quiz that he'd spent the whole week preparing for. The teacher hadn't looked pleased, but Randy was more worried how his Mom and Dad would react when they saw. He considered holding out on showing them for a week or two. By then, he would have hopefully raised his grade back up.

"'Least th' day can' get much worse," he grumbled, marching down the hallway through the crowd of fellow students milling about for the precious few minutes they had. "Wonder wha' Dexter's got hisself into?"

Randy trudged along, heading toward the drink machine on the second floor that was his preferred watering spot. This particular machine had the best luck of giving soda in return for cash. The others were like rolling a roulette wheel. As such, of course, there was a line. Randy spotted Dexter waiting at the very end and stepped up behind him before someone else could.

"Fancy meetin' you here, Hoss," he greeted. "Thought ASB presidents got special privilege when it came t' lines. You keepin' in touch wit' your roots 're sumthin'?"

Dexter looked morose as he turned around to face Randy.

"No such luck," Dexter moaned. "Seems this is the year Principal Peaslee decided the student presidency should set a better example for his peers by not abusing so much of his power."

Randy laughed as the machine up ahead dropped a Boo Burst Twist for the expectant sophomore waiting there, who greedily snatched it up. The girl popped open the tab and took a long pull from the can before walking off, leaving her space free for the next impatient customer.

"That gotta suck," Randy said, taking a step forward behind Dexter, who was doing the same. "S' what's made our illustrious leader so keen t' clean up student politics. Seems like th' stink o' corruption would be jus' fine for him."

"I'm so glad that you think so, Mr., ah... Carter, is it?"

Randy whirled around to find Principal Peaslee glaring from directly behind him in line. The corpulent man with squinting eyes seemed to be trying to drill a hole in Randy's skull with the power of his gaze. Randy was a little less than impressed, but bit down on his tongue all the same.

"You know, sir," said Dexter, who had turned around upon hearing the principal's voice. "For a man of your impressive stature, you do quite well when it comes to Stealth Checks. Were you an assassin in a former life?"

Dexter's attempt at distraction proved fruitful, drawing Peaslee's attention away from Randy onto himself.

"It hardly seems like a challenge," Peaslee retorted, looking even more repulsed by Dexter's presence. "Not when the corridor is packed to the brim with your, ah... clambering peers."

Randy saw an opening and took it.

"You wanna hide a leaf, go to the woods," he muttered, but kept his voice audible enough so that Peaslee was sure to hear it.

Peaslee looked a bit flustered by Randy's quip. It wasn't so much the words themselves as the snide delivery, something his mother had instructed him on when he was a boy: the key to a great insult was stealth. Judging by Peaslee's bewildered expression, he didn't quite get Randy's meaning, but understood at least that he'd been slapped down.

"Didja brave all those stairs jus' so we could stand n' shoot th' breeze together, sir?" Randy went on, deciding it was best not to let the principal recover.

"I needed to have a word with, ah... your illustrious president." Peaslee's eyes darted disdainfully over to Dexter. "He is, after all, the, ah... student body's _elected_ official."

The word 'elected' came out of Peaslee's mouth like he was describing human excrement.

"And what can the student body's choice for leadership do for you today, sir?" Dexter chimed, looking quite pleased with himself all of a sudden.

This, of course, only served to aggravate Peaslee further. For once, though, Randy felt a sling twinge of pity for the man. Dexter's smugness rolled off of his friend's body like a dark cloud.

"There's some kind of error in the computer lab," Peaslee went on, speaking quickly now to elide the time spent in Dexter's presence. "The system keeps glitching and the instructor has no clue why. Either fix it yourself, or locate someone among your peers who can."

"Um, sir?" Dexter spoke out quickly as Peaslee was attempting to retreat into the surrounding mob of teens. "Isn't this the kind of thing that tech support is for? You know, the people qualified to handle problems like this."

"Tech support costs money, Mr. Ward," Peaslee replied back snidely, as though he'd already prepared an answer. "It's the students' computer lab. Therefore, let it be your responsibility as their envoy to fix it."

Peaslee then muscled his way through the crowd like a linebacker trying to break form. Randy watched the corpulent man leave, not bothering to conceal the look of contempt on his face.

"Mind giving me a hand with this?" Dexter asked pleadingly once he was certain the principal was out of earshot. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do here."

"S' what else is new?" Randy retorted, taking a step away from Dexter and his problems.

"I can probably get you an excused absence from class if you come," Dexter offered, speaking very fast. "If you're helping the school, it counts... I think."

That convinced Randy to stop.

"Les' go, then," Randy conceded, following alongside a very relieved-looking Dexter. "Can' be too much o' a hassle."

"Right," Dexter agreed, a little too enthusiastically. "What's the worst that could be wrong? A little computer glitch? Nothing we can't handle. We're ghost hunters, after a–"

Dexter found himself silenced by Randy's hand, which slapped down sharply over his mouth.

"S' ain't th' time for shop talk, Hoss," Randy reminded, glowering. "Keep it in 'till we're inna less public place. Remember?"

Dexter yanked Randy's hand free of his mouth, looking bereaved for a moment, but then nodded.

"Right. Right."

Already, Randy was having second thoughts. He couldn't shake the feeling the whole way to the computer lab that something horrible was about to happen. Then again, he mused during the climb up the staircase, it could just be holdover from when he was kicking himself at fizzling over asking Dani out.

"Gotta get m' game on sooner than later," he muttered to himself.

"What?" Dexter asked, having overheard.

"Nuthin," Randy answered quickly, slipping around Heather Chandler and Pamela Wells, who'd chosen the landing in front of the steps as their stopping point to gossip. "Jus' sumthin else I gotta get done soon, 's all."

"Excuse you!" Heather Chandler shouted shrilly, acting as if Randy had stepped between them.

"God, you are so inconsiderate," Pamela chimed in, not about to be out done.

"My bad," Randy retorted dryly, not bothering to stop. "Must've missed the sign tha' said 'School Bitch Gossip Zone'."

Dexter lingered behind, standing off to the side near where Pamela glowered after Randy.

"Thanks for your vote!" he blurted out fast, raising a hand up as though in salute. "Your president is always on the job working for you."

Randy paused and looked back down the steps, watching as Dexter took off like a bullet. A bewildered Pamela watched him go next to a contemptuous Heather. It looked as if the girl couldn't quite work out what just happened.

"Nice work," Randy commented once Dexter reached him. "Hoss, maybe you outta let some ot'er soul write for you from here on out."

Dexter stopped on the step below Randy to think on this.

"Do you really thing I should?" he inquired earnestly. "I wasn't going for a speech back then."

"Naw," said Randy, leaving Dexter behind on the stairs. "I mean, in general."

The computer lab was on the other side side of the hall and down a side corridor. Randy muscled his way through the crowd of students that were beginning to disperse for their next classes while Dexter trailed behind. For him, it was like being the Secret Service escort for the President of the United States. Unfortunately, the mental picture didn't hold up very well next to reality, or else Randy might have enjoyed the job more.

Dexter was still having trouble moving through the crowd. No one parted to let him pass, and there was only one of Randy. Despite Dexter's new-found status as ASB president, people weren't handing him the respect he'd clearly assumed came with the job.

"Here we go," Randy said, once they'd reached the Computer Lab entrance. "Let's get this shit over wit'."

It looked as though computer classes were canceled for the time being. There were no students sitting at the monitors or milling about talking to each other in low voices. Other than a lone and harried-looking instructor, the place was deserted.

"Peaslee sent us t' take care a' th' Computer Lab trouble," Randy announced, getting the instructor's attention.

The woman–a Mrs. Ellery if Randy remembered right–jumped in shock. Randy waited for the woman to determine that he was, in fact, a student and that she wasn't about to be mugged before speaking again.

"Mrs. Ellery?" Dexter asked, stepping around Randy so she could see him better, even though Dexter was a head taller. "The principal––"

Dexter froze.

"Oh, wait," he said, caught off-guard. "You're not Mrs. Ellery."

"I'm the substitute," the woman said, looking relieved to see him. "You're here about the system problems?"

The woman considered Dexter for a moment, growing more suspicious by the second.

"Aren't you still a little young to be in tech support?" she asked.

"We're inters," Dexter answered promptly, demonstrating a surprising skill for improvisation. "This way, the company doesn't have to pay us for fixing your problem."

"Oh, good," the woman said, looking relieved. "Well, I'm not really sure what's wrong. To be honest, I only know enough about computers to work a coffee machine and play Diabolique IV. This is way beyond my skills set."

"Mind us havin' a quick look 'round?" Randy asked, deciding then and there that he didn't like the lady much.

The woman regarded him suspiciously, but then looked to Dexter and nodded her consent.

"This is some bullshit," Randy griped once they'd sat down at a computer desk far outside the range of the substitute's hearing. "You even gotta clue what you doin', Hoss?"

"No idea," Dexter acknowledged freely, grinning broadly the whole while as his fingers danced lightly over the keyboard in an attempt to simulate activity. "It gets us out of class, though. I figure we might get to spend the whole day up here, especially if nobody else comes in."

"Peaslee's bound t' come nosing 'round sooner 're later," Randy reminded. "Best make it seem like you got some clue 's to what t' do."

"Mm. Good point." Dexter narrowed his eyes at the blank screen in concentration. "Guess it could be a simple power problem. Looks like nothing's working on this machine. Check the cords for me."

Randy responded with a glare sharp enough to cut glass.

"Right. Right." Dexter slid his chair back and stood up. "I'll go check the cords. You can keep my seat warm for me until I get back."

"Better plan," Randy commended, taking Dexter's seat.

Leaning back, Randy watched idly while Dexter crawled under the table to fiddle with the various cords and plug-ins that were knotted underneath the table.

"Here's something," he heard Dexter mutter a moment later. "There's a cord that's not plugged in. Randy, I'm gonna give it a couple of tugs. Mind looking to see what it's connected to?"

Sighing, Randy sat back up and leaned forward, peering around the monitors at the nest of cords behind the towers.

"'Kay," he said. "Go."

There came a clatter, followed by Dexter crying out 'Ow!'.

"Hit my hand," he whimpered. "So, what's it hooked up to?"

"Nuthin'," Randy declared, still watching the cords. "Got nuthin' on this end, Hoss. Must be plugged in t' sumthin' else."

"Huh," Dexter mused thoughtfully from below. "I wonder what it does. I'm gonna plug the cord in. Keep watch on the monitors and let me know if something happens up there."

"Natch," said Randy. "Roll on when you ready."

Randy could hear Dexter wrestle with fitting the plug into the socket. Three things then happened in succession. First, a bright flash of light came from underneath the table. Next, the lights in the room dimmed, leaving only the windows to illuminate the room. Finally, all the monitors blinked on at the same time.

"Looks like you gone done it, Hoss," Randy said, pleased, as he looked around the room. "Feelin' pretty good right 'bout now?"

"Not really," moaned Dexter as he rolled out from under the table. "I think the cord had a short in it."

The smell of singed hair came with Dexter, assaulting Randy's nostrils.

"Whew!" he said, backing away. "Maybe you lay off the styling gel for a bit."

"I don't use styling gel," informed an indignant Dexter as he clambered to his feet. "I–"

Whatever Dexter had been about to say in his defense died on the young man's mouth. Computer code was scrolling down each computer monitor at a manic pace. That wasn't nearly so entrancing, however, as the maniacal laughter accompanying it.

"I hear this b'fore," said Randy, reaching for his phone.

Dexter did the same. Around them, against all logic or respect for the principles of physics, the code was flying out of the monitors. The laughter intensified as the codex congealed in one spot not far from the ceiling in the center of the room.

The substitute teacher was watching the scene unfold with a wide-eyed and slack-jawed expression. Then, she did the sensible thing, and fainted.

"'Least we ain't gotta worry 'bout nobody seein' us," Randy mused as, in front of he and Dexter, Kilowasp took shape. "Ready, Hoss?"

"m0r7a1z!" Kilowasp crowed as his form took shape. "r3j0ic3! F0r j00r s4lv4t10n 1z 4t h4nd! 3y3, Kilowasp, h4v3 c0m3 t00 1ib3r4t3 j00 4llz fr0m d4 tyr4ny 0v d4 t0t4lan 5ch00lz 5y573mz!"

"And he still talks in l33tsp33k," Dexter noted.

"Guess some folk'll always be stuck in they ways," said Randy, resignedly. "Let's go."

Both Randy and Dexter held their Specter Phones up in front of them in a dramatic pose. Drawing them back, they then keyed in the sequence to transform into their armored form.

" _Specterize_!"

The auditorium felt stuff and the seats were cramped. This felt at odds with how many students actually occupied the expansive building.

From the outside, Innsmouth Academy had looked like a modern marvel; a monument of higher education reserved for the elitist and wealthiest that the country had to offer. Once inside, though, Dani had begun spotting the cracks that hadn't been filled up.

The student body as a whole had the appearance of being malnourished. Like the auditorium, it looked to Dani as if they'd built the place with a much larger student body in mind. Whatever had caused the roster to dwindle, the school still wasn't recovered from it yet.

While the headmistress up front center stage rambled on about 'pride' and 'opening their arms', Dani openly yawned and turned to look at Alice, who sat to her right. Alice was fixating her gaze on the headmistress, as though trying to memorize each word the woman said.

Feeling petty, Dani decided to mess with her a little.

"You're giving yourself eye strain," she whispered.

Alice acted like she hadn't heard, but narrowed her eyes to a stare. Neither left the headmistress's presence, but from the way Alice looked, Dani thought she might be trying to slice the older woman in half with the power of her mind.

"Do they dismiss applicants who don't have perfect vision?" Dani pressed, leaning in so that Alice would definitely hear her.

"Shh!" Alice hissed back, though Dani noticed with some satisfaction that Alice looked very worried all of a sudden. Furthermore, she stopped glaring at the headmistress.

To Dani's surprise, Alice leaned back into her after a moment's hesitation.

"I know you see this whole thing as a joke," she whispered in Dani's ear, "but some of us actually have a chance at getting in here. My parents have a lot riding on my acceptance. I'm trying to pay attention."

"To which part?" Dani challenged. "The insipid rambling or the pretentious sense of self-importance?"

Alice seemed put-off by this, but raised up and went back to focusing on the headmistress's every word. Deciding that the worst Alice could do would be to reach over and strangle her–which would get them both thrown ejected surely–Dani leaned back in.

"Not that both don't fit in with the rest of this place," she went on quietly, speaking near Alice's ear. "And I thought the cheerleaders and football players back home were awful. This place is so full of itself, it might as well be chewing off its own arm, coyote-style."

Alice scowled.

"But hey, more power to you if you get in," Dani continued. "At least we'll be going to different schools afterward. And it's not like I don't know people around Arkham now."

To Dani's immense pleasure, Alice's face grew taut with the realization of what she meant.

"I'm sure Dexter or Randy will keep me company while you're slaving away here alongside the upper crust," Dani teased. "You know, Randy was trying to ask me out earlier, before Peaslee caught me in the hallway."

Alice tensed, but said nothing, which surprised Dani a bit.

"Then there's all the extra work you'll be putting in," Dani added, trying for a different approach. "With so much extra schoolwork, you won't have any time for ghost hunting. I guess that means Randy and Dexter will have to work with me instead."

Alice reached over and seized Dani's arm, her nails digging into the halfa's flesh. Slowly, deliberately, Alice's head turned to face Dani. There was a murderous look in her eyes, then.

"Outside," Alice hissed, not bothering to keep her voice down. "Now."

"Don't you want to stay and hear the rest of the headmistress's speech?" Dani asked cheekily, feeling pleased with herself.

"You can either phase us through the floor discreetly," Alice responded with, "or I can Specterize here and now, and blast you in the face. Make your choice."

Realizing that she had struck a deeper nerve than intended, Dani deliberated on her choices. It was possible that Alice was bluffing. She was here, after all, to impress her parents. Getting into a fight would be academic suicide, even while wearing full specter armor. Then again, it looked like the girl meant business.

Honestly, Dani kind of hoped she did all of a sudden.

"Fine with me," she replied flippantly, slipping out of Alice's grip so she could loop one arm around the other girl's. "Hold on tight, and try to act nonchalant."

Dani slumped down in her seat, as if she were about to take a nap. She wasn't the only student who had done so. Several spaces over, a male Innsmouth student had begun snoring softly. Dani let herself go invisible first, allowing the field to spread to Alice as well. Then, she phased the both of them through the chairs and the floor to the level below...

...which proved to be a mistake.

"I can't see anything," Dani complained, blinking at the darkness all around her.

"Ugh, hold on just a sec," Alice said irritably, fumbling around one-handed at something. "I'll use my cell phone."

Dani remembered then that she could make her eyes glow, and switched colors from brown to a florescent green. The added benefit of this was that she could now see. A second later, Alice had activated the lighted screen of her specter phone, and held it up light a flashlight.

"Where... are we?"

Slowly, Dani lowered the two of them down to the dank, dirty floor.

"I dunno," Dani confessed, "but I get the feeling that this place isn't part of the school's regular tour."

Through her shining eyes, Dani could see that she and Alice were in some sort of storage space, only this one felt enormous. It was like standing in a damp cave. Her ghostly vision only allowed her to see a few feet away. The place felt deserted on top of that; and smelled stuffy, as though it hadn't been used in several years.

"Maybe we should fight it out somewhere else," Alice suggested, back to being civil again. "Somewhere we won't bump into things trying to hit one another. And that doesn't remind me of old horror movies."

"There is that," Dani muttered softly, accidentally putting her foot in an icy puddle as she stepped forward, looking around. "Ick! Why is the floor so wet?"

"Dunno," Alice said with mutual disgust. "There's something else about this place too. Something about the way it smells. Like the docks on the edge of town."

"Yeah," Dani agreed, picking up on the stench the moment Alice pointed it out to her. "I can smell it too. Why, though?"

Something skittered across the floor just beyond Dani's field of vision. It was big, too; a shadow the size of a person, but stooped and crawling low to the ground. At the same time, a wisp of fog escaped Dani's mouth, and she felt an icy chill race through her body.

"Ghost sense!" she called out. "We've got company!"

"Ack!" Alice cried out, fumbling with her phone.

The Specter Phone slipped out of Alice's sweaty hands and clattered to the floor. Cursing, Alice knelt down on the damp floor and fumbled around for it.

"Help me!" she barked at Dani, making it sound like an order.

Dani didn't move, but an idea did occur to her, then.

"Ah, to hell with this," she said in abhorrence, raising a hand.

A green light emitted from her palm, powered by her Ghost Ray. The light shined out past her range of sight, highlighting the spot where the shadow had been seconds ago. There was nothing but an empty spot there now. Dani turned in a full circle, bringing the light in her palm with her to shine in every direction.

Nothing moved; there were no shadows crawling along the ground. Yet, even as she brought herself back around to face Alice, Dani had the feeling she was being observed. Alice, meanwhile, had her phone at the ready.

"Do I do it now?" she asked, unexpectedly.

Dani blinked in response.

"Why would you be asking me?" she wondered, confused.

Alice seemed to register this fact and went still for a moment.

"Right," she said, projecting a calm in her voice that wasn't the least bit genuine. "Never mind. Force of... I mean, I... nothing. It's... never mind."

"We're not alone down here," Dani stated, turning around to look back over her shoulder at the prickling sensation of a pair of eyes aimed at the spot between her shoulders.

"You think?" Alice asked incredulously, still holding her phone up in front of her like it alone was a weapon. "What is it?"

Another wisp slipped out of Dani's mouth.

"There's more than one," Dani told her. "I think we're surrounded."

The shadows were moving. Alice took a deep breath to steady herself as she swiped her thumb over the surface of her phone. The sensation, the action; they helped steel her nerves.

"You can phase us out of here, right?" Alice pressed, getting ready to transform. "I mean, you brought us in here, so that means you can get us away from... them, right?"

"I wanna know what 'they' are first," Dani insisted, keeping a close watch for any more moving shadows.

"They're ghosts," Alice replied in a droll tone, rolling her eyes. "I think it's a safe bet by now. Anyway, specterize!"

The flash and twin rings that encompassed Alice at her declaration blinded Dani. When she could see again, Alice was decked out in her Specter Detector armor, holding the ecto staff up in preparation for an attack.

"And I still think that sounds lame," she stated flatly. "But whatever. Going Ghost!"

Alice was semi-prepared for Dani's own flash of light, shielding the visor on her helmet so she wouldn't be blinded. The sensors built into her suit still went haywire for a moment due to Dani's transformation. When she looked again, the ghost girl had changed clothes to the black-and-white ensemble with the D/P symbol emblazoned on the left breast.

"Like that's any better," Alice chided. "But at least you can give me a hand bagging whatever these ghosts are."

A low gurgling sound filled the room, then. Alice turned and saw two shadow figures crouching near a corner. The noise was coming from them. Alice spun her staff and performed a couple of turns, strictly for intimidation's sake.

When she looked up again, though, the corner was barren. Yet, the gurgling noise persisted, from several directions all around them.

"More evidence to support the theory that they've got us covered on all sides," Alice said.

A thick scraping sound, like claws being dragged over the floor, filled the air next. It mixed with the echoing gurgles, giving Alice chills. Dani lit up both hands now, charging her Ghost Ray.

"Come on out and fight," she heard Dani challenge.

"Yeah," Alice tried, though she could hear her own voice shaking. "Neither of us is afraid of you. We just wanted to have it out in peace."

The scraping sound came again; this time much closer. Dani felt something race past her from behind and turned, but there was nothing there. The light from her hand, however, revealed a stretching shadow retreating further back into the darkness.

"Nice try," she called out bravely. "A good fight works, though, no matter who takes the beating, so why don't you come on out?"

The gurgling noises resumed again. It almost sounded like words; as if whoever was behind it were talking to each other.

"Here's hoping you didn't make things worse," Alice grumbled, raising her wrist blaster and charging it.

"You think things can get worse?" Dani quipped back at her.

The click-click of claws striking the floor in rapid succession echoed around the room. The gurgles were replaced by high-pitched hisses. Alice winced at the sound, but kept her wrist blaster aimed in front of her. Reluctantly, she turned her back to Dani, giving the ghost girl her six.

"I think they're coming out to play," Alice said. "Ready?"

Dani laughed, and the sound carried.

"Born that way."

The creatures stepped into the light cast by Dani's Ghost Ray. They weren't ghosts. At least, Alice didn't recognize them as anything resembling the sort of ghosts that the Professor had shown her before. The scraping sound made sense, at last. The things–whatever they were–had talons on their hands and feet. Each time they moved forward, the talons scraped the ground.

The gurgling came from their throats. Each one possessed some sort of pouch that looked like it belonged on a frog. Alice abruptly had vivid flashbacks of dissecting amphibians in middle school. It seemed as if her worst nightmares regarding the whole horrific affair had come to life right before her eyes.

They had scales, too. Each one's body was covered from head to toe in scales. Webbing covered the space between their fingers, or what passed for them. Gills on the neck pulsated in time to the same pouches underneath their chins.

"What... are those?" Alice couldn't help but ask.

"Not a clue," Dani revealed. "But at least we've found out where that smell's coming from."

It was the truth. The stink of murky sea water, old and frothy, emitted from each and every one. Alice thought that the things must have bathed in the stuff before ending up in the school. How they'd managed that was something she'd worry about later, after kicking their asses.

"Attack!" she ordered, willing her voice to shout clearly. "Pattern Omega Beta Zeta, version two!"

Cartwheeling forward, Alice performed a perfect split kick while upside down and in mid-air. Two of the creatures went flying backward away from her, while a third had its legs swept out from under it courtesy of Alice's staff.

"Now," she ordered. "While they're–"

Three of the things jumped her from separate sides, catching Alice completely off her guard. She found herself rolling on the ground with one of the monsters on top of her. The weight of it was crushing, but the sound of its claws scraping at her armor had far worse an effect. Panic swelled inside of Alice's chest like an approaching tide.

"Get off... of me!" she screamed.

Unable to move the arm that held the staff thanks to the creature's weight, Alice fired her wrist blaster instead. The first several shots went wild, striking things at random. At last, Alice was able to get enough of her wits about her to aim properly. The next shot was fired at point-blank range right into the monster's chest. The flash that accompanied it was blinding, but Alice didn't care. It lightened the load on top of her considerably.

When she could see again, Alice realized that the weight on her body hadn't vanished completely. The reason why was stretched out unconscious on top of her. The lanky body of a freckle-faced young boy roughly her age sagged wearily, looking for all the world like he'd just been pulled out of a washing machine on spin cycle.

"Not what I was expecting," Alice blurted out, confused enough for a moment to not shove the boy away. "Still not my type, though."

"Alice!"

Alice shoved the boy away reflexively, hoping the ghost girl hadn't noticed the young man draped over her. As she raised up, the young ghost hunter saw that the ghost girl had problems of her own. Three of the gill creatures had ganged up on Dani. The ghost girl didn't appear bothered by that, however.

"These things," Dani yelled, taking aim with her Ghost Ray at the one directly in front of her. "They're possessing human hosts. I think these are Innsmouth students being overshadowed."

The blast from Dani's Ghost Ray caused the gill creature in front of her to split in two. One part went translucent and flew backward out of her reach. The other half–a stocky young man a few years older than Dani–crumbled unconscious to the floor.

"Yeah, I figured that part out already," Alice called back as two more of the things came forward on the attack. "So what do we do about it?"

More of the gill creatures were coming. It seemed as if ten of them were coming to replace the two that had fallen. Alice felt her stomach sink in fear. She was completely outnumbered.

"Sure wish Dexter and Randy could've come," she moaned, blasting the two closest to her, though it did little more than singe. "Might've been helpful after all."

"You have to hit them at point-blank," Dani shouted, taking on the other two herself.

"Don't tell me how to do my job!" Alice roared angrily. "Besides, there's too many of them. We have to regroup."

Alice's sensors registered the spectral entities that had possessed the two hosts she and Dani liberated. Reaching for her Polter-Vac, the ghost hunter blasted each one, one after the other. The high-pitched hissing returned, but only until each spirit could be swept up inside the ghost containment device.

"That's two, anyway," Alice said, feeling proud. "Time for us to go."

"Agreed," Dani complied, blasting two more of the spirits out of their hosts with her palms pressed against their chests. "Get those two, and then grab the students. I'll fly us out of here."

Alice didn't argue. Once the two spirits were sucked up by the Polter-Vac, she reached down for the unconscious student near her feet. Slinging him over her shoulder fireman style, Alice moved to collect the second one. Dani, meanwhile, had already gathered up her two and was floating toward the spot where Alice stood. The other gill creatures were surrounding them again.

"I've got him," Dani said, putting the third one on her back by tossing him in the air like a sack of potatoes. "But I might have trouble carrying all of us and going intangible at the same time."

"I can handle that last part," Alice assured her.

Reaching down to her belt where the Specter Phone say, Alice keyed in the command code to render herself intangible. Then, she hit a separate key to spread the intangibility field out to include the two Innsmouth students touching her.

"Nice trick," Dani complimented.

"The armor lets us simulate rudimentary ghost abilities," Alice explained, "but only while we're wearing it. I still can't fly myself out. The Professor hasn't worked that one out yet."

"Explanations later," Dani said, grabbing hold of Alice. "This is gonna get rough, but I think we're worn out our stay at this school."

Alice felt her feet leave the ground. Keeping a tight grip on the two students in her care, she braced herself for phasing through the ceiling. The tingling sensation passed quickly, and seconds later, she found herself once more standing firmly on the ground. Dani had brought them up in a corridor not far off from the auditorium where they'd been earlier.

"Thanks," Alice said reluctantly, setting the unconscious bodies on the floor next to a wall. "I guess."

"You guess?" Dani challenged, doing the same. "Would it kill you to just be glad I helped?"

"Define 'help'," Alice retorted back, dropping her intangibility field. "I gave an order and you deliberately disobeyed me. What the hell happened to our plan?"

"What plan?" Dani wondered. "Wait, you mean that Alpha Beta Kappa... thing?"

"Omega Beta Zeta, version two," Alice corrected, giving Dani a glare through her helmet. "It's a standard attack formation for when you're surrounded. You were supposed to be my support."

"I didn't know what it meant," Dani yelled, throwing her arms up in frustration. "You can't expect someone to follow an order when they don't know what the order is."

Alice froze.

"Fair point," she grumbled, then reached for her belt to de-specterize.

Dani shifted back into her human form as well. The silence between them was palpable. Alice wrestled for something to say, giving up after a moment. She really didn't want to give the ghost girl the upper hand.

"Thanks," she offered, against her better judgment. "I mean it this time."

"Good for you," said Dani, looking angry for a moment. But then, her face went soft and she smiled. "You're welcome. You did really good back there."

"Of course I did," Alice replied, holding her head up high so she wouldn't have to admit to herself that the compliment pleased her. "What did you expect?"

Dani decided to let the subject drop.

"What do we do with these guys?" she asked instead, looking back over her shoulder at the four unconscious boys.

"Leave them there," Alice decided promptly. "Someone from the school will find them and get them help."

"Assuming the school isn't responsible for them ending up that way," Dani warned darkly. "Along with all of the other of those... whatever they were."

"Gill creatures," Alice said, giving voice to the name she'd come up with during the fight. "What are we supposed to tell the faculty, then? That we rescued them from an underground room in the school that was full of monsters? Monsters that are possessing students."

"Good point," Dani admitted. "This may be bigger than I can deal with. I really wish my parents were here right now."

"I'll tell the Professor," Alice assured her. "She'll know what to do."

Dani considered that option for a moment, and nodded.

"Let's get out of here, then," she said, moving down the hallway, "before someone finds us."

Alice's parents and Dani's aunt and uncle were sitting together drinking coffee in what resembled an office waiting room. The sign on the door said that this was a study room. Alice had never heard of such a thing, but didn't question it.

Alice's mother raised up sharply as soon as she walked into the room. It looked as though her mother had overdosed on the caffeine again. Her eyes were already twitching and one hand shook uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Alice sighed, knowing it was going to be another long night of listening to her mother sleepwalk back and forth the hallway outside her door.

"How did it go?" her mother demanded. "Are they letting you in? Have you spoken to any of the faculty yet?"

"Did they ask about your extra-curriculars?" her father chimed in with next. "Do we need to speak with the headmistress next?"

"Hey, guys," a very calm and composed Dani said to her equally composed aunt and uncle, meanwhile. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It was no problem, sweetheart," Dani's uncle told her warmly. "What do you think of the place so far?"

"Dull," Dani answered immediately, but then Alice noticed out the corner of her eye Dani leaning forward to whisper in her uncle's ear. Whatever she said, her aunt clearly picked it up as well.

Steeling herself, Alice turned back to her parents, who acted as if they hadn't noticed she wasn't paying attention to them.

"I'm not sure that I want to go here just yet," she blurted out.

This silenced her mother and father. Both stared through Alice like she wasn't there anymore. The act riled her, but Alice willed herself to stay calm.

"I mean," she went on, "I haven't made a solid commitment to anything just yet. I'd like to come back again tomorrow, if Principal Peaslee will allow it. It'd be great to see more of the campus without all the pomp and circumstance."

Getting the principal of Arkham High to give his consent was the least of her worries. Looking up at her parents' faces, Alice willed the both of them to buy the load of bullshit she was feeding them.

If there was any mercy in the world, they'd fall for it.

"Slippery little bug, wasn't he?"

Randy pressed two fingers into the side of his forehead and rubbed back and forth, willing the headache that had been growing for the several hours to go away.

"For real," he said to Dexter as they worked their way out of the school building.

The school day was over, but for the two of them, the workload had only begun. Everyone around them was laughing and chatting among themselves, or checking their phones for the latest celebrity news and local gossip. Randy and Dexter were two bleak figures moving through the crowd for the doors.

"I still can't believe he got away from us again," Dexter mumbled, looking morose as he and Randy stepped out into the bright sunlight, a stark contrast to their own moods. "We nearly had him there when he tried to jump into the school server and evacuate."

"Don' remind me," Randy groaned, rubbing his sore muscles. "We gotta figure some way t' smoke th' lil' shit out. Professor ain't gonna like it when we tell 'er, either."

"Oh yeah," Dexter said, growing pale in the sunlight as they marched across the street to the library, as though walking toward his own demise. "I knew there was something else I was forgetting. Think she'll be very pissed at us."

"Don' really wanna think 'bout that just yet," Randy replied, opening the front door of M. Scatonic Public Library.

The library was at least warm. The chill and moisture in the air outside melted off their bodies in the face of the hearth-like balm behind the four walls. While the sun was out for now, the moisture in the air and chill factor suggested snow would be headed their way soon. Randy enjoyed that idea about as much as he did the prospect of taking on the school's little bug zapper problem without backup.

"Be sho' th' coast's clear, Hoss," Randy advised, working his way through the stacks toward the large central pillar.

Dexter obliged and kept a lookout while Randy retrieved his phone. Fishing the device out of his pocket, the teen punched in the code that accessed the hidden elevator remotely. A moment later, the pillar gave an audible 'ding'.

"We clear?" Randy asked, putting his phone away.

"Hold on," Dexter warned, watching as two semi-attractive girls–a brunette and redhead–slipped further down an aisle between bookshelves and out of sight. "Okay, we're good. Let's hurry up before someone else comes."

"Right," Randy agreed, pressing the concealed switch behind one of the pillar's bricks, which in turn opened the elevator doors. "Goin' up."

The ride up to the Clocktower was uneventful, except for Dexter's humming. They were almost to the top before he noticed the look Randy was giving him.

"Oh, right," Dexter said out loud, reminding himself. "I was humming again, wasn't I? It just feels weird to be going up an elevator without annoying music coming from overhead."

"We all gotta make sacrifices," Randy said as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened. "Lesse if the Prof's available. I dun wanna have t' go back t' school this fast, but iffin it gets rid a' our problem..."

Randy's voice trailed off as he heard voices coming from around the corner where the Professor's main work area was located. Recognizing both Dani and Alice speaking, Randy frowned and walked gingerly around the corner. Something huge had to have happened for Dani to back to the Clocktower, and with Alice no less.

Dexter evidently thought along those same lines, though he was far less judicious about it.

"Did an apocalypse happen while we were skipping gym?" the tall, lanky boy with long, curly hair asked, striding in past Randy.

Dani and Alice–and Professor Wraitheon as well–turned in unison to stare curiously at Dexter.

"Nothing on the news as far as I've been monitoring," the Professor replied, resting her elbows on her chair's arms as she linked her fingers together. "Hello, boys. What do we owe the honor of this visit?"

"Ran into a problem at school today," Randy started to explain, coming up behind Dexter.

"Big bug," Dexter summarized. "Big zappy ghost bug with zappy powers."

Dani's eyebrows raised slightly while Alice stared.

"Kilowasp?" Dani guessed.

"That guy's back again?" Alice picked up. "I was wondering what had happened to him."

"Been hidin' in the computer lab, far as we can see," Randy explained, before sighing wearily. "Spent the whole af'ternoon chasin' the little so-and-so."

"We had to tell Peaslee that there was a major malfuction inside the server that was causing the computers to send out electric shocks at random," Dexter informed. "Good thing the old guy's so darn gullible."

"Good thing he knows nothing about computers," Alice added."

"I can't believe he bought that," Dani said, laughing. "Actually, wait. You know what? I can believe it."

"Yes," Professor Wraitheon spoke, tersely, moving her chair around. "It would seem that all of you have had eventful days today."

It was Dexter and Randy's turns to look surprised.

"Wha?" Randy asked. "You both?"

"Together?" Dexter pressed, interested. "At Snob High, no less?"

"Innsmouth Academy, Mr. Ward," the Professor corrected sharply as she began keying in information on a nearby console. "Miss Kraven and Alice brought back several specimens for me to study. They all share a unique ecto-energy signature, one very familiar."

"Familiar?" Alice wondered, stepping up behind Professor Wraitheon.

"Yes, I was just about to explain it to you when the boys arrived," the Professor said, nearly rolling over Alice's foot as she turned her chair around. "The signature of these three... gill creatures, as you've christened them, Alice, bears a distinct resemblance to the formless blobs that spread over Kingsport Falls not so long ago."

Alice's eyes doubled in surprise. Dani, on the other hand, looked confused.

"Blobs?" she asked, looking over to Randy and Dexter for help.

"Some weird flying balls of ecto that popped up out of nowhere," Dexter clarified. "We still don't know where they came from."

"Ain't seen none since tha' one day," Randy added, looking thoughtful toward the monitor displaying the ecto signatures. "Wonder wha'..."

Randy paused, then turned to the ladies.

"Gill creatures?" he inquired.

"Fish men," Dani said, seizing her chance to explain this time around. "Ghost fish men, from what we can tell. Possessing students and turning them into... well, gill creatures, I guess we're going with."

"And hiding out in a dank storage area in the Innsmouth Academy basement," Alice threw in. "For whatever the reason."

The Professor spun her chair so that she was facing the others once more. Alice backed out of the way to prevent her feet from becoming roadkill, but said nothing. Dani seemed surprised for a moment, and debated on whether or not she should say something. Professor Wraitheon appeared ignorant of what happened, though, and Alice didn't appear all that shocked, so she let it drop.

 _Besides_ , Dani thought to herself. _It isn't like Alice and I are BFFs or anything._

"Innsmouth Academy has a long history with Kingsport Falls," Professor Wraitheon informed, meanwhile, folding her fingers together once more. "Many prestigious people hail from it."

"We could always use a few friends in high places," Alice said softly.

"As for the ghost of that student haunting the school's computer room," Wraitheon went on, as if Alice hadn't spoken, "I have a potential solution. Electric signals can be disrupted or inhibited by firing counter-signals at opposite frequencies. An ecto-pulse ray would work."

"Sounds good," Dexter said, giving the Professor a thumbs-up. "When can we put in an order for one?"

"Tomorrow morning." Wraitheon slid her chair forward away from the console to a different table, one closer to the boys. "It will have to be assembled and then calibrated. If I get started soon, it should be finished before your first period starts."

"Convenient!" Decker cheered.

"Yeah," Randy added. "Here's hopin' don' nobody go near th' Computer Lab inna meanwhile."

"As for the situation at Innsmouth," Wraitheon went on, ignoring Randy now. "Whatever is turning the students suggests a greater involvement. If students have gone missing and no one has reported it, the school itself is likely involved."

"So whada we do about it?" Dani wondered.

"And does it have to involve us teaming up?" Alice asked, looking less than humbled by the prospect.

"Better together than separate," Wraitheon said, wheeling herself around to face the girls once again. "From the story you told me, fighting those things alone would be a very bad idea. You'll need to infiltrate the school and interrogate one or more of the students. Maybe ask a member of the faculty as well."

"You honestly think they're just gonna tell us?" Dani asked the Professor incredulously.

"No," Wraitheon said curtly. "I think you'll have to make them, Miss Kraven."

Dani flinched, but Alice simply nodded.

"I can live with that," she insisted. "Any ideas on what we should do once we find... whatever it is that's been doing this?"

"Information first," Wraitheon said, wheeling herself away back to the console. "We decide what to do after we know what we're up against."

Dani looked less than thrilled at the Professor's instructions.

"I guess this is why ghost hunters and half-ghosts don't work together very much," she mumbled.

No one else had moved to leave yet. Alice looked keen to linger. Dexter and Randy both looked like they could use the afternoon off. Dani was considering phasing through the wall and flying home when the Professor spoke up again.

"I suggest all of you go home and recover," Wraitheon advised, keeping her back to the others. "Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for everyone."

Dani shrugged and took her leave, slowing as she passed Randy.

"By the way, you wanted to talk to me about something this morning," she asked, giving Randy a flirtatious smile. "Wanna come over to my place so we'll have a little privacy?"

Randy fumbled, but recovered quickly.

"Ya," he blurted out, then cleared his throat. "Ah, sho'. We can do that. I ain't got much goin' on right now, least 'till the Profs finishes that pulse ray... thing."

"Cool." Dani nodding, then continued on for the elevator. "You coming?"

Randy followed after Dani at once, leaving behind an irate-looking Alice–who glared after them from a across the room–and a mournful Dexter.

"Can I come too?" Dexter called out, chasing after Dani and Randy. "Hey, wait up, guys!"

"Boys," Alice grumbled, looking away disdainfully. "Why even bother?"

"Why, indeed?" replied Wraitheon, without looking away from her monitor.

Feeling relieved for the first time now that they were alone, Alice moved over to join the Professor at her computer.

"At least you get it," Alice said, giving the Professor a very warm smile. "Sometimes, I feel like nobody but me does."

Wraitheon spared Alice the barest of glances before looking back at her screen.

"Oh, I've been the Odd Girl Out a time or two," she said absently, waving Alice away. "Seriously, though. Go home. You'll need your rest, and I've got a lot of work to do."

"I could stay and help," Alice quickly offered. "I could..."

"Thank you," Wraitheon replied, cutting Alice off before she could finish. "I've got it. Even professional ghost hunters need sleep. Go home and unwind for a bit. There's no reason you and I both should spend the rest of the night cooped up in the laboratory."

Alice's face was one of defeat and forlorn. Unfortunately, Wraitheon didn't bother glancing her way again, and thus, never noticed.

"Right," said Alice, conceding defeat. "I guess... I'll be going, then."

Wraitheon didn't bother looking up from her work as Alice walked quietly toward the elevator by herself. The others were already long gone. Alice wondered for a moment while she waited for the elevator to chime if Dexter had followed Randy to Dani's house. She decided then and there that she didn't care.

"It's not like she has a chance," she told herself, stepping inside the elevator once the doors had opened for her. "And a relationship with Randy won't last."

Alice had convinced herself of this by the time she left the library. The cold chill in the air and the rapidly approaching clouds in the sky matched her disposition perfectly.

A storm was coming, and it looked like the weather knew it too.

Rain was falling.

"It would have to be pouring while we're doing this," Dani grumped, glaring up at the clouds as though their downpour were an affront to her mother and kittens everywhere.

"And no limousine today either," Alice noted, keeping the umbrella in her hands high up so that the shield covered both of them. "I'm guessing that was just a one-time thing."

"So much for arriving in style," Dani mused.

The two of them stood outside the main building of Innsmouth Academy. Alice's parents had driven them there, much to Dani's surprise. She'd planned on flying, figuring going intangible would keep her dry for the duration. The horn that blew outside at seven-fifteen took her by surprise, as had the sight of Megan Halsey-Wong's Tesla car.

"Your mom didn't have to give me a ride," Dani said abruptly, shifting her feet as though she'd stepped in a puddle. "But... thanks again."

"Wasn't my idea," Alice declared loftily.

Around them, students at Innsmouth were beginning to file in. Most acted as though the rain were not an issue, like it rained over the academy every day, and this were just a fact of life. Dani watched as the faces marched past, ignoring her and Alice altogether.

"Which one?" she asked Alice, keeping her eyes sharp for a potential candidate. "Also, are we really going through with this?"

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Alice retorted, doing the same. "The Professor gave us our orders. This is just a simple recon mission."

"And those never go according to plan," Dani responded with sagely. "Trust me. I've been there."

"Right." Alice was doing her best to not sound so impressed. "How about him?" 

Alice pointed at a student lingering near the door; a young man with long arms that seemed to hang down far past his waist.

"He's at least as tall as Dexter," Dani noted.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Alice wondered.

"Nothing." Dani steeled herself and took a step toward the boy. "We'll do this the easy way. I'll overshadow him from behind. There was a bathroom down the hall and to the left. Meet me in there."

Dani moved forward, then veered off into a circle. Once she was sure the rest of the student body wouldn't notice, the ghost girl ducked behind a large trash bin and went invisible. Now completely hidden from human eyes, she darted out into the open and raced for her target. The rain spattered against her face, and she thought someone heading for the front door was staring, but there was no time to worry about that. Launching herself forward, she dived into his body.

The sensation was instant. Suddenly, she was wearing another human like a suit. Dani struggled for a moment, forcing her limbs to occupy the same space as the unknown boy. To the unwise pedestrian passing by, it looked as though the boy had come down with an erratic chill of some kind.

Once Dani had full control, she nodding at Alice once, then ducked through the door. No one said anything to her as she marched down the corridor and around the corner straight for the bathrooms. Dani almost made the mistake of entering the Girls room before she remembered and corrected herself. As she was reaching for the handle to the Boys room, the door opened unexpectedly.

"Hello, Marcus," said a vacant-eyed and pale young man with wet dark hair as he exited the restroom.

"Hey," Dani answered, moving aside to let the boy pass.

Once the coast was clear, Dani slipped into the Boys room and made a quick sweep of the place. Luckily, the restroom was clean, and not just in the sense that it was unoccupied.

"My god," Dani said to herself out loud. "It's... actually cleaner than the Girls restroom is at Arkham High. Or Casper, for that matter!"

There was an interesting fragrance filling the air, but Dani didn't have time to worry about what it was or where it might be coming from. Footsteps could be heard marching purposefully past the Boys door. Dani reasoned that it could simply be someone in dire need of the facilities, but the impatient stomping reminded her at once of Alice.

It then dawned on her that Alice might have assumed that Dani meant she was going to the Girls room.

Sighing, Dani opened the door, looking first to make sure the coast was clear again, before dashing across the gap between the two restrooms to the other side of the hall.

"Alice," Dani hissed, cracking the Girls restroom door open. "You in here?"

Alice opened the Girls room door a second later, looking pissed.

"Where were you?" she demanded. "We don't have a lot of time. My parents still expect me to tour this dumb place all over again."

"I went into the Boys room," Dani said pointedly, gesturing behind her. "You know, where boys are supposed to go."

"Well, come in here quick," Alice ordered, opening the door wider for her, "so we can get this over with."

"I can't go in there," Dani protested, glaring now. "What will somebody think if they catch us? I'm inside a boy's body, and I'm standing in the Girls room. With a girl!"

"The same thing applies to me," Alice pointed out, looking furious at her.

Or, rather, him.

Dani groaned, then began fumbling through the boy's uniform pockets for spare change.

"We'll flip for it," she said, locating a quarter. "Heads, we go into the Boys room. Tails, we go into the Girls room."

"I don't believe this..." Alice began saying, but Dani had already tossed the coin into the air. "Wait, I wasn't ready!"

The coin spun on its descent, clattering noisily against the tile floor, then bouncing several times before spinning to a stop. Dani had to take two steps over to see which side it had landed on.

"Heads," she decreed, retrieving the coin and putting it back into the boy's pocket. "We go into the Boys room."

"I don't believe you," Alice insisted, though she was already exiting the Girls room. "But, whatever!"

Alice followed Dani inside the Boys room, slowing to a stop just inside the door, which bumped her shoulder as it swung shut.

"I... don't believe it," Alice muttered, looking around.

"I know," Dani assured her. "I was the same way."

"But," Alice insisted, looking shocked. "It's so... clean! Why is the Girls room back at Arkham such a pit? Why is the Girls room next door such a pit by comparison, for that matter? And–"

Alice paused to sniff the air.

"Is that lavender?" she demanded. "Why is there lavender scent in the Boys room? Where is it coming from?"

"As you said, we have our mission," Dani reminded, backing up. "I'm going to walk out of him now. Oh, and I found out that his name is Marcus. That'll be useful."

"How?" Alice asked as Dani was about to vacate the body. "What does it matter?"

Dani hesitated.

"It helps if you know their name, but they don't know who you are," she explained, readying herself again. "They tend to be thrown off guard by it."

"How do you know that?" Alice asked suspiciously, her eyes growing wide. "Wait, have you done this kind of thing before?"

"Not personally," Dani admitted. "But I've watched one before. Here I come."

Dani phased herself out of the boy named Marcus before Alice could press for more information. Her body went visible and tangible as she stepped out into the restroom, the smell of lavender still fresh, only now being breathed in through her own nostrils.

"Uuugghhh!" the boy named Marcus moaned meanwhile, swooning dizzily before falling forward toward the lavatory, catching himself with his hands just in time.

"Is he okay?" Alice whispered to Dani. "Cuz, I'd rather not have to clean up the vomit of a guy I snuck into the Boys room of a rival school to interrogate."

"Some people don't handle being overshadowed as well as others," Dani told her. "Better we do it now while he's confused."

Dani marched up and grabbed the boy by the shoulders before he could recover, using her enhanced strength to flip him around, then seizing him by the collar.

"Hello, Marcus," she said confidently. "Sorry to bother you while you're in the restroom. I know it's uncomfortable having girls watch while you try to hold down your breakfast, but we need to have a talk."

"What–?" Marcus started to say, only to have Dani silence him by throwing him against a nearby wall.

"It's really very simple, Marcus," Alice joined in, moving with the same confidence that she was trying to project into her voice. "There's something weird going on here at Innsmouth. We want to know what."

"You tell us," Dani said, getting right in Marcus's face, "and I don't turn violent."

Dani's eyes flashed green for a brief second before going back to their usual brown. The effect got Marcus's attention, and he had to fight to avoid wetting himself.

"What are you–?" he stammered. "I don't... Wait, is this about the swim team?"

Dani and Alice's eyes met, conveying that they both knew they'd hit paydirt.

"Also," Marcus added, "aren't the two of you too young to be cops?"

"We're with the police's special junior division squad," Alice lied easily. "They're recruiting younger every year."

"Got the idea off some old TV show," Dani threw in for good measure. "Now, what's this about the swim team?"

Dani released Marcus, who nodded appreciatively, then began taking several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"I don't know," he began. "At least, I don't know why, but something's been up with the swim team for a while. My... friend, Roland? Roland Olmstead. He joined the swim team, and then started acting really strange. Won't even talk to me now."

"The others," Alice pressed, moving in to stand beside Dani. "On the swim team, I mean. Are they acting the same way."

"I... maybe, yeah." Marcus looked a little pale just from talking about them. "I always avoided those guys. They acted... weird, you know? Like, something was always off about them. I didn't want Roland joining up with them, but he wanted to be on a swim squad since middle school."

"Swim team it is, then," Dani said, pleased. "Wow, this was really convenient."

"I'm not complaining." Alice spared Dani a look before turning back to Marcus. "This guy, Roland. Can you point him out to us?"

"First period's about to start," Marcus began, before the loud clamber of a bell rang out, interrupting him. "Has started... but okay. If you think I can help Roland out. He's my... well, we've known each other for a while."

"You help us. We'll help you," Dani told him, giving Marcus a reassuring clap on the shoulder.

"Better check out the swim team's pool area while we're at it," Alice advised.

"Okay," Dani agreed. "You know this school better than we do, and where Roland would be right now, so lead on."

"That works out," Marcus said, looking lively for the first time since Dani had stepped out of his body. "I was waiting for Roland by the front door when..."

Marcus froze, as the gap in his memory finally registered.

"Go on," Dani pressed, worriedly.

"Anyway," Marcus said, shaking his head. "I was trying to catch Roland before first period. The headmistress gave him first period free so he could practice laps in the pool. Special privilege, I guess."

"Some things never change," Alice grumbled, stepping back so Marcus could pass. "No matter which school it is, jocks get preferential treatment."

"I know," Dani said, doing the same. "Peaslee would be so proud to find out he's carrying on a tradition."

"Instead of just carrying around all that added weight," Alice joked.

"Who are you two talking about?" Marcus wondered.

Randy was awake early in the morning and at school.

These two things did not belong together.

"Got the Profs pulse ray?" he asked Dexter, whom he'd been watching cross the street from the school gates.

"In my backpack," Dexter said. "Figured neither of us should get caught trying to slip in an unlicensed ectoplasmic weapon into school."

"Here's assumin' we ain't gonna get frisked by security."

Dexter thought this over.

"Side entrance?" he suggested.

"Side entrance," Randy concurred. "Let's get our asses in gear, Hoss."

The school was technically open, but since it was early, most of the security had yet to go on their shift. Randy worked out that they'd be in the lounge smoking cigars and drinking 'coffee' until at least seven-fifteen.

"Think this thing'll work?" Dexter asked unexpectedly as they entered the building from the side.

"Here's hopin'," was all Randy said.

It was quiet in the hallways. Randy and Dexter checked around each corner nevertheless, making sure the coast was clear. There were no faculty members around for the time being, meaning they had a clear shot at the stairs leading up to the third floor.

"You nervous?" Dexter blurted out as they reached the third floor.

"Nope," Randy lied, the word slipping out of his mouth easily.

"Me either," Dexter replied, lying with just as much ease.

"Bullshit," Randy called, chuckling. "We both is."

Up ahead and around the corner, the two circled together side by side. Dexter fumbled with the zipper of his backpack, reaching in once he'd opened it up for the pulse ray.

"Think he's moved?"

"Nah," Randy replied with a certain amount of assurance. "Ain't got no reason to. 'Sides, we ain't exactly had a high success wit' issun. 'M thinkin' anyway tha' he likes it in here."

"No matter what decade," Dexter agreed, priming the pulse ray to charge, "or whether they're dead or alive, geeks love the school's computer lab."

"For real," Randy agreed. "On three. One... two..."

Dexter swung his foot out unexpectedly to kick the door down. His sneaker-covered toe struck the hard wood and stopped short. The door stood unwavering against the assault, by comparison, while Dexter began hoping up and down.

"Ow! Ouch! Ow! Ow!" Dexter whined.

"Wha'cha gotta do that for?" Randy wondered, testing the door handle, which opened easily. "It ain't locked."

"I thought it'd make us both look cooler if we rolled in as the door flew open," Dexter complained, looking down at his swollen toe underneath the sole.

"You gotta kick th' door down for that?" Randy pressed, unwilling to let it go. "Fine. We roll in one after 'nuther, but you gotta go in first."

Dexter looked less than thrilled.

"Why me?" he wondered, eyes wide with fear all of a sudden.

"You got the thing," Randy replied, pointing at the pulse ray in Dexter's hand.

"Oh, right." Dexter looked down at the hand holding the Professor's pulse ray. "On three then? Again?"

Randy counted to three, then turned the knob and flung the door open. Dexter dove in first, rolling into a somersault that stopped when his hair got tangled under his shoulders. Randy was already moving in and couldn't stop, his momentum causing his body to collide with his skinny friend. The two crumpled together in a pile and the pulse ray went skittering to a stop underneath a table.

"The hell?"

Randy recognized the voice that spoke and cringed inwardly, praying he'd be wrong as he raised up to look around. Unfortunately, whatever higher power he'd been assigned to was in the bathroom at the moment. To his left and a couple of chairs down, Pamela Wells sat staring. Surrounding the Fashion Club president was the rest of her girl clique: Heather Chandler, Angie Ellery, and Heather McNamara.

"Um, what're you guys doing?"

Heather McNamara was the one who spoke next. Her eyes then automatically deferred to Pamela and Heather Chandler, as though fearful that she'd spoken out of turn.

"I know you," Angie said, frowning as she studied Randy's face. "You're Randy Carter, ain'cha? You hang out with Alice Halsey-Wong."

Pamela whirled around in her seat to stare daggers at Angie, like she'd committed some unpardonable sin. Angie, for her part, ignored the girl outright and kept looking at Randy, expecting an answer.

"S' me," Randy answered in the affirmative. "Ya'll know th' lab's closed 'till further notice, right?"

Pamela gave her hair a patented toss filled to the brim with haughtiness before glowering toward Randy at Dexter, who'd finally gotten up off the floor.

"We're the Fashion Club," she stated, as though that alone should mean something to the boys. "As a school social group, we're obliged to post regular updates of fashion critiques on the students to the school's website."

"Posting what you think of other people's clothes on the school's official website," Dexter said, brushing himself off. "I'm sure that's not a lawsuit waiting to happen."

"Ain't this sumthin' ya'll outta do at your own place?" Randy asked, looking from one girl to the next, saving Pamela for last. "Like, on ya'lls own computer?"

"Pamela can't use hers," Heather Chandler announced, giving her de facto president a quick look. "Her brother used it to look at porn, and downloaded some kind of virus to the hardrive by accident. It's in the shop."

"Shut up, Chandler!" Pamela hissed.

"At any rate," Dexter said, taking the lead, and acting as if he were capable of explaining things to the girls in a calm, reasonable way that would get them to listen. "Principal Peaslee wants the Computer Lab closed until further notice. There's been some major issues."

"It's working fine right now," Angie pointed out, looking unimpressed with Dexter.

"Like you have any kind of authority over us anyway," Pamela scoffed. "Who exactly do you think you are, anyway?"

"His name is Dexter Ward," Heather McNamara spoke up again, risking the chance to voice her own thoughts audibly again. "He's ASB president. I vot... nothing."

The others were staring at Heather McNamara again. Angie more or less just looked surprised that Heather would know. Pamela and the other Heather, by contrast, were glaring daggers once more.

"He's still the president?" Heather Chandler asked incredulously, looking back to Dexter. "Shouldn't they have... I dunno, impeached him for the sake of common decency by now?"

"Funny," Dexter responded with. "Principal Peaslee thought the same thing. Nobody in school has gotten around to it yet, though."

"Been a busy semester," Randy commented.

"Who asked you?" Pamela snapped. "And whatever you think you're here for, it can wait. This is a public school facility, and as students and members of the Fashion Club, we have every right to–"

Pamela declaration was cut off by the sudden explosion of the monitor in front of her. Sparks and smoke erupted from a number of other sources as she and her chair both flew backward onto the floor. The rest of the Fashion Club either screamed, recoiled in shock, or began looking around for what the hell was causing things to go haywire.

Angie happened to be the latter.

"Don't just stand there!" she barked, giving Dexter and Randy hard looks. "Pull the freakin' plugs or something!"

Randy swept the room for the source while Dexter dove down onto his hands and knees to begin unplugging all of the surge protectors. Heather Chandler was backing away from Pamela's unmoving body, glancing around the whole time like she was looking for a way out. This left Heather McNamara and Angie to tend to their fallen president.

"Everybody, get down!" Randy shouted, still looking for his target. "Kilowasp, you sunovabitch! Get out here n' fuckin' fight like a ghost!"

Monitors everywhere were exploding one after the other, sending clouds of smoke into the air. Several towers melted from what appeared to be overclocking. The lights overhead began flickering like before.

Randy spotted Dexter wrestling with one of the surge protector cords. A few feet away from him, the pulse ray lay under a table, nestled between two support legs.

"Dexter, quit screwin' 'round 'n git the freakin' ray gun, dammit!"

Dexter looked up at the sound of Randy's voice, wide-eyed and on the verge of panic.

"What?" he wondered. "Oh, right. Coming right up!"

As Dexter crawled Marine-style under the table for the Professor's invention, Kilowasp made his move. Randy flinched as a bolt of cackling lightning flashed out of one of the sockets on the wall and zipped around the room. The reflexive movement threw Randy off-balance, causing him to stagger backward while windmilling his arms. The other members of the Fashion Club, sans the still-unconscious Pamela, all screamed and darted about looking for cover.

"Finally," Randy grumbled.

The maniacal laughter from Kilowasp in his electric form continued.

"n0n 0b j00 4r3 133t 3n0ugh7 t00 b3 1n d1s p14c3! 3y3 w1ll cl3nz3 d4 1mpur3 fr0m d1s p14c3. 5tar71ng w1t j00 g1rlz!"

Kilowasp finished off his declaration by manifesting in his physical form briefly, surrounded by lightning all over. The laughter was really starting to grate on Randy's nerves. Fortunately, he spotted Dexter, having reached the pulse ray at last.

"Get ready, Hoss," he said softly, not wanting to alert Kilowasp.

Kilowasp, meanwhile, had begun glowering down at the retreating members of the Fashion Club. Angie was standing in front of Heather Chandler and Heather McNamara, both of whom cowered behind her. The girls were being backed slowly into a corner. Chandler appeared to be praying while McNamara shivered in terror. Angie–bless her soul–wore the best brave face she could muster.

"j00!" Kilowasp cried out, pointing an accusing finger their way. "3y3 kn0w j00! j00 ar3 4ll p0pu14r! B34ut1ful! d4 1n-cr0wd! 3y3 d3zp1z3 j00. Th3ref0r3, 3y3 sh4ll d3ztr0y j00!"

"Shit!" Randy swore. "Couldn't they just run like I said?"

There was no place to go for him to transform. Dexter was too focused on getting the pulse ray now. Kilowasp, on the other hand, buzzed down just above the girls' heads, sending them scattering. Heather McNamara tripped as she tried to get away, causing her to accidentally shove Angie aside.

"Angie, look out–!"

"Randy, catch!" Dexter had crawled out from under the table with the pulse ray in hand, and rifled it through the air like a football. "Go for it, man!"

Randy strode forward, hands held out to make the catch of his life. His fingers folded around the pulse ray, now warm from having been fully charged. Still in motion, he took aim and fired the pulse ray at Kilowasp, who'd stopped charging around the room to hover in mid-air, apparently gloating over something.

It took just one shot. The Professor had done her work well. The blast tore through the electric-powered ghost, causing his body to crackle and fizzle like the image from an old television set on the blink. The ghost tried to scream, but the sound kept getting interrupted by static.

"Dexter," Randy hollered, rolling on the floor to a stop. "You're up, Hoss."

Dexter fumbled for his backpack and pulled out the Polter-Vac that Randy had made sure his friend brought to school with them. With Kilowasp immobilized, Dexter had no trouble aiming. The blast from the Polter-Vac sucked the ghost right up in short order. Kilowasp's lingering cries were left hanging in the air, before fading to nothing.

With the ghost now contained, order appeared to return to the Computer Lab. The lights came back on and remained that way.

Of course, the room itself was a disaster area. Computers everywhere were either broken into pieces or had melted from intense heat.

"I ain't gonna foot the bill f'r any a' this shit," Randy declared. "Peaslee can jus' forget abou' it."

"Well, there's always the fund for the football team's post-game Jacuzzi," Dexter pointed out, giving the Polter-Vac a confident toss. "And, before you can ask, no. That's not a joke."

Randy opened his mouth to reply. What he was going to say left his mind, however.

"Guys?" a frantic-sounding Angie cried out. "Come here, quick! It's Heather."

"Ooohhhhhhh." The sound came from a reviving Pamela, who looked around wearing a dazed expression. "What... happened? So help me, if my make-up was smudged–"

Dexter and Randy raced past Pamela, ignoring her. Angie was crouched on the floor near the back. Heather Chandler was nowhere to be found.

"She's not moving," Angie said, looking horrified. "I think she's–"

"Dead."

Alice was glaring at the back of Dani's head. Dani could feel the girl's gaze trying to pierce the bone matter of her skull. Next to her, Marcus was breathing heavily.

"We are so dead," Alice went on, still drilling imagined holes in the back of Dani's skull. "This is supposed to be a simple recon mission."

"And we're recon-ing," Dani bit back, reminding Alice not for the first time. "The whole point is to gather information. There has to be something going on in the boys' locker room if the swim team is involved."

"Let's hope not," Marcus muttered protectively. "I mean... you know, for Roland's sake. And the others. For everybody's sake, I meant."

It sounded as though Marcus had some type of asthma problem. There was a rattling-type sound that accompanied each puff of air he exhaled. The fact that his breathing had increased since he'd begun talking didn't help matters any.

"Calm down," Dani told him, trying to be reassuring. "We just need you to take a look around for us. It won't look that suspicious if you're the one who goes in there. And you know Roland, so you can say that you're just there to deliver a message."

Marcus didn't look very reassured, but he nodded regardless.

"Right," he whispered. "For Roland. The message, I mean. Just delivering a message, that's all."

On unsteady legs, Marcus walked around the corner and up to the door to the pool building. Dani peeked around the corner from their hiding spot, keeping watch. Alice did the same, and of course, had to bump her shoulder unnecessarily against Dani's.

"Move over," Alice barked.

"Shh!" Dani hissed, sparing Alice a look before returning to watch over Marcus. "Once he's inside, I'll go ghost and follow him invisibly."

"Do you honestly think there's anything weird going on in the boys locker room?" Alice asked skeptically. "I mean, anything more weird than usual?"

"It's our only lead right now," Dani reminded, steeling herself now that Marcus had slipped inside the building. "Okay, he's in. Follow along behind me to keep a look out, just in case."

"You are not the one who's in charge here," Alice said, her eyes glowering.

"Professor Wraitheon didn't put anyone in charge," Dani pointed out, leaving her hiding spot behind the wall. "And I could use a spare pair of eyes to keep watch. What's so hard about that?"

"I am the one who leads the Spectre Detectors on missions," Alice went on, ignoring Dani, but following behind in the ghost girl's footsteps. "I'm the field commander, and this is a Spectre Detector mission."

"Whatever," Dani said dismissively, reaching the door. "If you're not going to keep watch, at least look around for clues. Something else might be–"

Dani was cut off in mid-sentence. She had reached for the door and yanked it open. The moment the hot, muggy air from inside the building hit her, a wisp of ghostly fog escaped her mouth.

"Shit," she stated, eyes widening. "I've gotta go after Marcus now."

"Bleck!" Alice recoiled, covering her nose and mouth with one hand. "What is that stench? It's like the same smell down in the basement."

"I know," Dani said, daring to stick her head in for a quick glance. "I think it's coming from the pool."

Alice went quiet, briefly.

"I guess that cinches it," she said, though it didn't sound like Alice was thrilled. "The swim team are involved somehow. Good call... I guess."

Dani didn't reply, instead transforming into Dani Phantom. Her neo-goth ensemble vanished in a flash of twin rings moving up and down from the middle of her body, replaced by her black-and-white ghost uniform.

"I've gotta find Marcus before he gets himself into serious trouble," Dani said, taking to the air. "And it's my fault if something happens to him. You'd better get dressed yourself."

Alice was reaching for her phone as Dani spoke.

"Already on it," she said assuredly.

Dani took off through the air while Alice transformed into her Spectre Detector armor, foregoing the 'Specterize' declaration for once, much to Dani's relief. Dani did a couple of quick swoops around the building near the rafters to clarify there was no one watching there.

"Looks like the coast is clear, out here at least," she said softly to herself, though her eyes were drawn back to the pool. "Man, that water looks weird. Never seen anything glow quite like that. At least, nothing outside the Ghost Zone."

There came a low rumble, like something moving from deep under the Earth. Dani felt the noise all the way into her soul. The sound make her brain ache. It was like a cry from the dawn of time reaching forward into the far-flung future to sink its claws into her spine.

"That... couldn't have been good," she moaned, uncovering her ears. "Marcus. Priority, now!"

Lighting off like a rocket, Dani aimed herself for the wall separating the boys locker room from the pool area. Her body went intangible a second before it would have struck, phasing through easily. Once on the other side, Dani stopped short and did a quick sweep of the place.

A smell–quite different from the one outside–struck her.

"Lavender?" she asked out loud. "Seriously? Even in here!"

"Dani, is that you?"

Marcus stuck his head out from one of the stalls, wearing a frightened look.

"Here, Marcus," Dani said, going tangible as she lowered herself to the ground at the stall wall where Marcus was hiding. "Just a sec!"

Dani flashed back to her human form before giving the stall wall a knock.

"Right here," she said, getting Marcus's attention, who jumped in surprise. "Sorry if I startled you. I got worried and–"

"Roland's not here," Marcus interrupted. "I don't think anyone is."

"Yeah, the place looks deserted," Dani mused, taking the rest of the locker room in while Marcus's eyes darted around nervously. "Guess this plan was a bust. Sorry that I–"

"What was that sound before?" Marcus asked, interrupting her again. "It sounded like–"

"I don't know," Dani said, cutting him off. "But I think we should leave. Whatever it was, it didn't sound friendly. Not at all."

The sound–the same soul-shattering noise from beyond time–shrieked through the walls and into Dani's core, making her double over in shock. Marcus did the same, covering his ears at the same time. His head swiveled around in horror, searching for the source. The walls began to shake, and dust rained down from the ceiling.

The sound was over in a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

"That was even less friendly," Marcus said in a hushed tone, looking pale.

"I–" It took several deep breaths before Dani could speak again. "Stay here. Hide somewhere. I've gotta go!"

"Wait!" Marcus called out after Dani, who had broken into a run for the door. "Where are you going? You can't–"

"Alice is still out there," Dani explained, calling out over her shoulder as she reached the door, flinging it open.

A blast came through the opened door, nearly taking Dani's head off. An armored-up version of Alice flipped backward past where Dani stood, firing wildly all around her. Alice wasn't exactly shooting indiscriminately, however. The gill creatures were all around her. Their scaled bodies had swarmed the pool building.

Without bothering to shift to her ghost form, Dani fired dual blasts of her ecto-ray out of each palm, striking two gill creatures that were nearest to her. The blasts knocked the creatures out of their human hosts, and the bodies crumpled to the cold floor.

"So much for recon!" Dani yelled, her smoking hands sparking with ecto power. "I'm Going Ghost!"

As Dani transformed, Alice fired the beam from the Polter-Vac, catching the two gill ghosts that Dani had blasted out.

"Nice shot," Dani complimented, taking off into the air.

"Thanks," said Alice. "Where the hell did you go? Suddenly, this place is swarming with these... things, and I'm fighting for my life."

"I found Marcus," Dani explained, charging forward through the air, catching several gill creatures one after another. "He's safe, for now."

"None of us are safe," Alice countered, sucking up the gill ghosts that Dani liberated from the human bodies they were using. "What are they all doing here?"

Dani fired blast after blast of ecto energy at the gill creatures. Each one was blasted free of the human they'd overshadowed. The problem, however, was the sheer volume of their numbers.

"I have an idea," Dani said, joining Alice at her side, "about why they're here, and where they're coming from."

Alice blasted a few of the ones closest to her and Dani away with her wrist blaster. Two leaped through the air, intent on jumping her from behind. Alice seemed to sense their presence, though, and took each one down with a strike from her ecto staff.

"The pool?" she asked, joining Dani on the ghost girl's train of thought. "Seriously?"

"It accounts for the funky smell," Dani pointed out. "You ready?"

Alice aimed her Polter-Vac and did a sweep of the area, sucking up all the gill creatures' ghosts before answering.

"I am so not ready," Alice said, hooking the Polter-Vac to the notch on her belt. "But we're going in anyway."

Together, the two ghost hunters charged for the pool, blasting any gill creatures out of their way.

"One!" Alice cried out, still firing.

"Two!" concurred Dani, preparing to jump.

"Three!

Both ladies cried out in unison as they jumped, not bothering with a diving formation. They were aiming for the shallow end of the pool. As Dani had suspected, though, the pool was much deeper than first impression had given. Even the shallow side appeared to go on down forever. Dani's glowing eyes couldn't penetrate the blackness below as her and Alice's bodies hit the surface.

Reaching out, Dani seized Alice's arm. Conjuring a light to her other hand using her ecto powers, she propelled the two of them downward into the inky blackness. The light from her ecto flame provided illumination, at least for a couple of feet. It did nothing, though, to stem the darkness altogether.

In her ghost form, Dani had no need for air. She did not know how long Alice could function underwater, however. Furthermore, the longer the two swam for, the more it felt like the blackness went on forever in front of them.

There was nothing. Dani could feel no seaweed, no sensation of other lifeforms, and not even rocky debris for her to slam into in her solid state.

Then, without any sort of warning, the two breached the surface.

"How?" Alice coughed. It sounded like water had gotten into her helmet. "How'd we swim up? We were going down?"

Keeping her grip on Alice's arm, Dani flew the two of them the rest of the way up and out of the pool's surface. For that, it appeared, was where the two of them had ended up. They were in some sort of cavern, it looked like. A relatively small pool lurked in the far back of the cave, which was illuminated by strange, yellow-green plants containing bulbs that hung downward from thin vines.

"Where are we?" Alice whispered, staring at their surroundings in shock.

"I... have a pretty good idea," Dani answered in the same low tone. "Stay close."

Dani took a few tentative steps forward, keeping the light from her hand burning to add to what was available in the cave. She'd let go of Alice's arm, but the ghost hunter was keeping close regardless. Their feet crunched on rocky soil, the type usually found near a beach.

"Oh, my gods," Alice gasped, once they'd reached the mouth to the cave.

"I knew it," Dani said gravely, surveying the vastness of their surroundings outside the cavern.

The skies were dark and rife with twisted shapes and unearthly colors, oddly reminiscent of the aurora borealis. The colors and shapes rolled and moved together in a strange, hypnotic fashion, like waves on the surface of the ocean. Chunks of rock and debris were visible as well. A rumbling sound, rocking two and fro, echoed not far away. The air–or whatever passed for air–felt heavy and stale. Beneath their feet, the ground gave way, as it was made of loose sand.

"We're in the Ghost Zone."

Alice had been watching the skies, her eyes fixed to it all like she was in a trance. When Dani spoke, the words didn't register with her right away.

"What? Wait, really?" Alice's face then fell. "Hold on. There's a Ghost Zone?"

"But I don't recognize this section of it," Dani was saying, distracted. "Wait, you're a ghost hunter and you've never even heard of the Ghost Zone before?"

"The Professor's never mentioned it to me," Alice said, going on the angry defensive, though her voice quickly grew quiet. "Is there really such a place?"

Dani held her arms out in front of her, as if to say 'ta-da'.

"You're looking at it."

Alice followed Dani's gesture and quickly became transfixed again.

"I've never seen anything like–" she whispered, trailing off once more in awe. "Stop, just one second. How can we be here?" 

Something slivered along the ground further up ahead of them. Dani and Alice both took aim–Dani with her ecto ray-charged palms and Alice with her wrist blaster. The shadow that moved was long gone by the time they were ready to fire, however.

"There are pockets of space," Dani explained, keeping her hands up while looking around cautiously. "Places where the barrier between worlds is weak. These spots form natural portals to and from the Ghost Zone. You've probably heard about sea monsters or missing planes before."

"And this is where they end up?" Alice asked, still stunned by what she was seeing.

"Some of them," Dani said, listening close. "What is that noise? It sounds like–"

There was a swell from the sound, like it increased in audible frequency at the mere mention of it. A wind somehow whipped up, causing Alice and Dani to stagger. The sandy ground they stood in crumbled beneath their unsteady feet.

"It's the ocean," Alice said. "I'd recognize that sound anywhere."

Sharing a look, the girls nodded once and moved together toward the noise, their weapons at the ready. It only took a few short steps to bring the moving water into view. The ground they walked along rose up abruptly, forming a kind of short dam. Once over it, the ground dropped steeply forward into an alcove, forming a beach at the bottom where waves lapped almost lovingly.

"Down?" Dani inquired.

"You're asking me?" Alice retorted, sparing Dani a sharp glance. "This is your territory, Ghost Girl. Not mine. I am finally willing to admit that we're in over our heads, me in particular. You lead."

Dani couldn't keep the shock off her face, but now wasn't the time to argue. Taking to the air, she looped her arms underneath Alice's and hefted the girl up. The two were spared a climb down thanks to Dani's flight powers. The sand below near the waterline was wet, naturally, and even more loose. Alice's armored boots sank into the earth as Dani landed, first with Alice, and then herself.

"What is this place, though?" Dani asked, more herself than Alice. "I've never been to a section of the Ghost Zone like this before. It's like somebody's weird idea of a prehistoric beach."

There came the sound of shadows scraping over the sandy surface again. Dani and Alice turned again toward it, but this time, the shadows did not escape. The gill creature was visible under the bizarre lights twisting overhead in the sky. One by one, more joined the sole scaly being lurking alone on the shore.

"Dani," Alice mumbled, frightened.

"I know," Dani said, though it was close to a lie, as she had a hard time fathoming what the girl next to her might be thinking at this point. "Stay together."

There were more of them, rising up out of the waves. The gill creatures began to surround the two, moving in a semi-circle pattern so that Dani and Alice were backed up against the sand dam.

One creature spoke.

"Youuuuu," it gurgled out, pointing a clawed appendage toward Dani. "Youuuu haaafffaaaaa..."

"Haaaaffffaaaa," another gurgled out alongside their kin.

"Haaaafffaaaa."

"Haaaafffaaaaaaa."

"Haaaaaafffffaaaaaaa."

The strained word moved like a chant, ebbing in time with the tide.

"Haaffaaaa commmesss tooo saaccreeedd sshhooorreee," said another, speaking as if they shared the same mind.

"Haffaaa disssturrrbbs Mooottthhherrrrsss wrooorrrkkk!"

"Haafffaaa musssttnnnttt."

The lines of dialogue were leaping out of a different gill creature every few seconds. It would have seemed rehearsed had the situation not been so dire.

"Mmmooottthhherrrr wwwoooorrrkkksss."

"Muussstttnnnttt diiissstuurrrbbb."

"S–sorry," Dani stammered out, speaking before they could continue, as it was seriously freaky. "I've... never met your mother, have I?"

"Moootthherrr worrrkksss."

"Seenndsss herrr chhiiilldddrreeennn."

"Musssttt huuurrryyyy!"

"Sssshhheee issss commminnnggg."

"Who?" Dani asked, looking at each one as they spoke in turn. "Who is coming? Who is your mother? What's this all about?"

"Mooottthhherrr wwillll ssstoooppp heeerrr!"

"Muusssttt ssttooppp heeerrrr."

"Chiiilllddrreeennn heeellppp!"

A thought occurred to Dani, a horrible one that chilled her bones better than the sound she'd heard back in the locker room could.

"This isn't infiltration," she whispered to Alice. "We're looking at a full-scale invasion."

Alice had been horrified the whole time, too much to do more than swing her wrist blaster around each time one of the gill creatures spoke. The sound of Dani's voice shook her free of some of her fear, though.

"From who, though?" Alice asked, still sounding panicked. "Who's causing this?"

The ground shook. It felt as if the air itself was shaking along with it. The waters behind the gill creatures trembled and the waves increased. Dani had the terrible, primal fear of the water swallowing her whole for a moment, gripping at her chest.

"Mooottthhherrrr cooommmeessss."

"That is not good," Alice stated.

"No," Dani agreed, swallowing the lump in her throat. "No, it isn't. It think we need to leave this place now. And make sure none of them follow us!"

Alice remained perfectly still. Once Dani had looped her arms underneath Alice's again, she gripped hold of Dani's hands like a vice.

"Mooottthhherrr Hyyyddrraaa," one gill creature began chanting. "Mooottthhherrr Hyyydraaaa!"

"Moootthherrr Hyyyddraaa."

"Mooottthheerr Hyydrrraaa."

Dani took to the sky, shooting up straight into the air like a rocket. None of the gill creatures attempted to stop her. They were all chanting along the shoreline. Once Dani was high overhead, the all turned in unison toward the ocean behind them. Dani watched, hovering in mid-air briefly, distracted by the lack of assault on her person.

"Um, we need to be going now," Alice reminded, giving Dani a kick with her foot. "Big trouble is coming, remember?"

Dani remained glued to her spot high in the sky.

"Alice," she said softly, staring out in the distance at a spot on the surface of the water. "Look."

Out in the distance, something rose up from deep under the ocean. The surface churned and boiled in response to the creature's movement. It was massive, a great, hulking monolithic shadow of chaos and madness.

"What...?" Alice fumbled, trailing off.

"Mother Hydra," Dani answered. "We're gone."

As tall as a skyscraper, the being stretched once it had broken the surface completely. Massive tubes of tendrils waved above, moving like they might shake the stars from their posts on a whim. A face that was not a face at all, but a mass of tentacles, a gaping, pronged maw, and row after row of black, soulless eyes turned their way.

Dani hesitated no longer. Putting everything she had into her speed, she took off for the cavern that they'd emerged from. The air whipped past at painful speed, but Dani didn't let up. The cavern was not far, and they would make it. She would see to that.

They did indeed make it, but they were not alone.

"Shit!" Alice screamed the moment Dani landed them.

The cavern was filling up with gill creatures. From the back, with the help of the yellow-green luminescent plants, Dani could see more coming. They were arriving through the pool in the back.

"They're coming through this way from the other side," Dani realized. "That thing... whatever it is, she must've called them back!"

"Then we go out the way we came in," Alice stated, her voice like a steel trap as she powered up her wrist blaster. "And take down as many as we can before we go."

"Right," said Dani, reading herself. "On three?"

"Yes," Alice agreed, whipping out her ecto staff. "Three!"

The gill creatures crawled forward along the gravel of the cave floor in answer to the girls' charge. Dani fired her ecto ray, using it in the hopes of freeing more of the possessed hosts. The gill creatures flew back and cried out with rage and pain, but left behind no evident of someone possessed.

"What the?" she wondered, though not letting up in her assault.

"Keep moving," Alice yelled, swinging her staff around wildly. "We can make it!"

Dani fired in unison alongside Alice, burning a path through the army of gill creatures. The gurgling hoards swiped their claws and snapped fanged jaws. Dani was bleeding green, but kept going. Her healing powers would protect her, and Alice had her armor to keep her safe. It was more important that they reached the pool.

"None of these are possessing people," Alice finally noticed, after one took a shot from her wrist blaster to the face.

"I noticed," Dani replied, charging her ecto ray to full capacity and blasting in a wide sweep.

Alice stared at the path Dani had created for them.

"Nice," she complimented.

"If they aren't possessing humans," Dani explained. "I don't have to hold back. Now, lets get out of here before there are more of them."

"Sounds good to me," Alice agreed, breaking into a run for the pool. "But, how will we stop them from coming back once we're on the other side."

Dani ran alongside Alice, sliding to a stop at the pool's edge.

"We won't," Dani declared, doing an about-face. "We're stopping them here."

Dani charged her ecto ray again, fueling it with everything she had. Gill creatures were pouring through the entrance. The space just beyond the pool was clear, however, at least for now. That was all Dani required. Taking aim at a spot on the cave's ceiling, Dani opened fire with everything she had.

"What the hell are you doing?" Alice screamed as the whole cavern shook. "You'll bring the roof down on us."

"That's the idea," Dani said, her teeth grit in concentration. "Well, half of it, anyway. Get ready to go for a swim."

Rocks fell from the ceiling. The cave was beginning to collapse. Dani poured on as much more as she could risk. Only when the rocks became boulder-sized did she stop.

"We're gone," she said, gripping Alice's arm once more. "Hold your breath!"

The cave collapsed in its entirety as Dani and Alice dove beneath the pool's surface. Behind them, farther back, the sound from Mother Hydra ripped through them. The force of it caused Dani to tumble through the water, losing her grip. For a moment, she panicked, feeling around wildly for Alice.

And then, she broke through the surface.

"What?" she gasped, spitting water out of her mouth. "How?"

The water she stood in was clear, no more than a couple of feet either. Dani recognized the stinging taste of chlorine in her mouth. Below, her feet touched the solid surface of the shallow end.

Beside her, Alice coughed, already wading her way toward the steps.

"I never want to do that again," Alice said weakly, dismissing her armor once she was out of the water. "Ever!"

Dani silently flew up out of the water, transforming back into Dani Kraven as her feet touched the damp tile floor.

"We did good," she said, more tired suddenly than she'd felt in a while. "Stopped an invasion. Helped most of the student body of a rival school for the upper class. It's been a good day."

Not far away, over by the locker room doors, Marcus was crouched on the ground holding someone. Dani noticed him, and realized that the unconscious body cradled in the young man's arms must be Roland.

"Looks like Marcus found his friend," Dani said, nodding in their direction. "I'm guessing Mother Hydra must've called back all the ones that were overshadowing students."

"Or maybe they came on their own?" Alice offered, watching as Roland came to. "Those things sounded awfully protective of her."

"Yeah, well..." Dani mused on Alice's theory a moment. "Who can understand parents with their kids?"

Alice chuckled at that sentiment.

"For the record," she added. "I'm not going to be attending school here. You?"

"Not me," Dani affirmed. "I think I'll stick things out at Arkham. What are you going to tell your parents, though? They were all psyched for you to come here."

"I'll think of something," Alice replied, as she and Dani began moving in unison to the spot where Roland and Marcus were. "It's not the first time I've had to come up with an excuse. Being a superhero means stretching the truth sometime."

"Don't I know," Dani said, laughing, stepping over the row after row of unconscious students left over.

"Roland!" Marcus was crying now, meanwhile, as he held Roland tightly in his arms. "Oh, thank God! I thought you were dead. You weren't moving, and then–"

"Hey," Roland mumbled weakly. "What's the big deal? Did we lose the regionals or something?"

Marcus paused, then burst into weak laughter.

"You big idiot," he chided, holding Roland back so they could look at each other. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Well," Roland said cheekily, pulling Marcus closer. "There's always this."

Dani and Alice watched, dumbfounded, as Marcus and Roland kissed right there amid the sea of unconscious bodies left over from the army of overshadowed.

"Wow," Alice whispered. "I... didn't see that one coming."

"Me either," Dani said, not looking away. "It's... kinda hot, actually."

The mood was abruptly broken by Alice's phone ringing.

"It's Randy," Alice said, checking the caller ID. "I dunno what I'm going to tell him and Dexter about today."

Dani watched, smiling, as Alice held the phone up to her ear.

"Randy," she answered. "What's up? You called just in–"

"Alice..." Dani just barely heard Randy's voice on the other end of the line. "You... gotta get t' the hospital. It's... Alice, it's Heather. They don' think she gonna make it."


	8. S1E8 -- Lucky Break

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

* * *

Episode 8 – Lucky Break

" _She'd better not cross your path!"_

* * *

Episode Guide: Alice and Dani find themselves agreeing on something: their belief that a ghost has infiltrated Randy's house during his New Year's Eve party. Meanwhile, Dexter meets a beautiful stranger en route to Randy's party, but why does bad luck seem to be following them?

"What are you guys doing for New Year's?"

The question came through the comm link, breaking Randy's concentration. Regardless, he tapped the Bluetooth built into the Spectre Detectors' helmets before adjusting the scope on his ecto-rifle.

"Nothing much," Randy answered, peering through the scope from his spot on the roof. "Same ol', 'm guessin'. M' mom'll wanna have some peace 'n quiet. I know m' ol' man's got somethin' he's s'posed to go to, though."

"Sounds good," Dexter said through the link. "What about you, Alice?"

Alice didn't respond immediately. The silence was palpable enough to carry their friend's ire. She'd been short-tempered with both of them lately.

"Alice?" Dexter asked.

"This comm link is supposed to be for communicating between the two of us while we search separately for ectoplasmic activity," Alice reminded in a tone sharp enough to leave a paper cut behind.

"Been pretty quiet on m' end," Randy said, keeping a look out through the scope for their target. "Gotta say, though. This new ecto-rifle be pretty damn sweet."

"Anything yet, Randy?" Alice asked, trying to keep things on track.

"Nuthin' so far's my eyes can see," Randy answered, moving the scope around to cover the nearby area. "Way I see it, our spook's given us th' slip again."

"If that vapor has become free-roaming," Alice grumbled, "it'll be even harder to catch from now on."

The team had been patrolling the area near Kingport Falls' small business district. Since the winter break began, the Spectre Detectors were trying to put in as much ghost hunting as they could. Almost every night had seen them lurking around some of their favorite hunting haunts. Most nights had been pretty fruitless, much to Alice's further ire, but Randy had been enjoying himself. It was especially nice when Dani Phantom had crossed paths with them while patrolling on her own.

Strangely, Alice hadn't seemed to mind them working together like before. Her irritating these days was reserved for himself and Dexter. It was getting to the point that she blew up at them over the smallest things.

"Seriously, though," Dexter pressed, who was keeping watch from the shadows a couple of streets over. "Alice, what've you got going on this year?"

Alice had been moving through the streets quietly, circling the block looking for their mark. Thus far, nothing unusual had happened on her end either. The most excitement any of them had seen was when Dexter had reported movement on his end, and all that had led to was him pissing off a few alley cats.

"Alice?"

"Dexter," Alice answered crisply. "What part of 'professional' do you not understand? This comm link is for discussing ghost hunting. Not parties, New Year's or otherwise."

"Jus' answer th' man, Alice," Randy tired, hoping to play peacemaker. "Imma lil' bit curious m'self. An' it ain't like we got much goin' on t'night."

"You are supposed to be watching our backs from an aerial position," Alice reminded, her voice growing more hostile by the second. "And Dexter, you should be coordinating your position with mine so that we sweep the block from different angles."

"I should?" Dexter's voice came through rife with confusion. "I mean, am I?"

"News to me," Randy said, knowing full well that he was making a mistake by supporting Dexter. "Don' recall that order comin' through."

"Maybe if you two bothered listening," Alice growled from her end, "instead of rambling on about whatever flies out of your mouths. Like inane chatter about what to do for New Year's!"

Randy let the silence fill the comm link, spending the time searching through his scope once more.

"My mom's throwing a mixer for her colleages at the firm," Alice blurted out unexpectedly. "And Dad's helping a professor prepare for his annual tax audit. They're both going to be busy."

"You could'a jus' said as much," Randy replied. "There'll be plenty 'a room at my house come New Year's Eve."

"Cool!" Dexter cheered, overjoyed at this news. "Wait, was that an invitation for me, or..."

"No, Dexter," Alice said, her voice dry enough to compete with the Gobi desert. "We expect you to spend New Year's Eve watching the skies with your parents while Randy and I live it up at his house."

"You can come, Hoss," Randy clarified. "Jus' no more chatter f' now, please. Imma thinkin' Alice can' take no mo'."

"Sure thing," a happy Dexter said, though the emotion didn't linger in his voice for long. "Um, guys? Does it still count as 'chatter' if I think I've found something?"

Randy listened closely; there was no sound from Alice's end either. Dexter, for once, was keeping his mouth shut so his friends could hear. Randy winced as an unearthly sound began to filter through the comm link.

"All I hear 's some angry cats howlin' they heads off," Randy commented.

"The same," Alice agreed.

Something brushed up against Randy's leg, startling him. Alarmed by the thought of a strange ghost sneaking up on him so that it could molest his ankles, Randy swung the ecto-rifle down toward the roof. He almost blasted one foot off of his leg before stopping himself.

A small animal with bright, shining yellow eyes stared calmly up at Randy, then blinked. Randy stared back down at the cat observing him. The cat's coat was a strange mixture of black and bright orange. The color pattern reminded him of tiger stripes, especially around the face and hindquarters.

"Randy, is everything all right?" Alice's voice was the next thing to startled him. "You went quiet all of a sudden."

"Yeah, didja find something?" Dexter pressed, the yowling cats still carrying on in the background.

"I'm good," Randy said, getting down on one knee so he could scratch the cat behind its ears with his gloved fingers. "I jus'... thought I saw sumthin', is all."

Randy started to get to his feet, but something happened to change that plan. A blast from behind struck him between the shoulder blades. Randy felt his whole body go numb, like his nerve endings had been shorted out. The shock was enough to pitch him forward, and he ended up tripping over the cat, dropping the ecto-rifle in the process.

The cat howled and hissed in protest, but Randy was able to gain purchase with one hand of the side of the building. Unfortunately, this didn't stop his momentum. Seconds later, Randy found himself dangling over the side of the building.

"Shit!" he yelled. "Guys, I got a problem!"

The cat had leaped up onto the railing which Randy clung to. Above both the feline and himself, a pink cloud hovered. Its body–or lack thereof–consisted of a nest of tentacles, eye stalks, and a single floating brain. Electric sparks crackled as the cloud spoke.

"Once again!" the cloud said in a high-pitched voice, "BRAINSTORM is triumphant!"

"Randy, can you hear me?" Alice's voice came through the comm link. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, man. What's up?" Dexter spoke. "I can hear what sounds like mad cackling coming through your end. Over the alley cats, I mean."

"I got... kinda a' situation over 'ere, fellas!" Randy's voice sounded panicked and strained, even to him. "Mind givin' me a hand?"

The cat, meanwhile, hissed up at the laughing pink cloud. It's claws sank into the stone railing while the hair on its back rose up.

"You dare mock Brainstorm?!"

Randy couldn't decide what was more ridiculous: the fact that a ghost was threatening a cat, or that said ghost sounded so intimidated by an alley cat. The concept briefly distracted Randy from the fact that he was hanging precariously over the side of a three-story building.

The cat, on the other hand, didn't appear worried. Its back arched high as more hissing came out of its fanged mouth. Brainstorm stared down at the cat, eyes moving in erratic patterns while assessing the situation.

"You bear no threat to the might of Brainstorm," the cloud decided. "Begone, foul pest!"

"NO!" Randy screamed.

Brainstorm charged his tentacles with electricity and fired, letting lose a barrage of energy straight for the brave feline. The cat gave one loud, continuous hiss as it dodged the ghostly pink cloud's attacks. The electric pulses left black soot stains where the cat's paws had been seconds before.

"You sonuvbitch!" Randy screamed. "Stupid lil' cumuli nimbus punk-ass. Leave the cat alone, dammit. This shit's b'tween us!"

Randy risked using his free hand to reach for one of his ecto-pistols, as opposed to using it to pull himself up. The cat had leaped up onto the guard that the neophyte ghost hunter clung to in order to keep from falling. Brainstorm kept firing, herding the cat in Randy's direction. Randy used this opportunity to take aim.

"Say cheese!" he gleefully jeered, before squeezing the trigger.

The blasts missed their intended target. Brainstorm wove up and down through the air, avoiding Randy's shots. It was, admittedly, difficult to hit a moving target when one dangled precariously off the side of a building. This was made even more challenging by the fact that the cat Randy had been trying to save picked that moment to attach itself onto his helmet visor via a flying leap.

"What th'..." he had time to say, before Brainstorm took aim at him.

The ghost fired off another electrical blast, this time striking Randy's fingers. The shock felt weaker compared to the one that had knocked him off his balance and over the side of the building, but it was enough. Randy cried out as his body succumbed to gravity, bringing the cat along for the ride. The feline in question howled in impotent fear and rage while its claws dug for purchase into the helmet, craving the tender flesh underneath just out of reach.

"Randy!" he heard Alice's voice call out over the comm link.

"Randy?" Dexter's voice over the comm sounded panicked. "Randy, come in. I can see you! Just hold on and I–"

The inside of the helmet covering Randy's head rattled as his body struck something. Dexter cried out in pain as their bodies connected. Randy could taste blood in his mouth, but that paled in comparison to the pain shooting through his right arm. Evidently, Dexter had come around the building, and had tried to cushion Randy's fall with his own body.

"Hey!" Dexter cried out, in pain, but sounding happy. "I saved the cat!"

"Good on you," Randy moaned, clutching the broken arm through his protective armor.

"Come in," Alice ordered, her voice breaking up through static. "Are you both alive? I'm not going to explain to the Professor what happened if you died on me. Understand?"

"We're fine," Dexter assured her, crawling out from under Randy with the cat still clutched in his hand. "Randy fell off a building, and I saved him. Plus, I caught a cat, so good on me."

"I think I broke my arm," Randy said weakly, as the pain from his injury began to throb through his upper body.

Dexter looked Randy over for a moment, then connected with Alice through the comm link again.

"We may have a slight problem, though," he said worriedly. "Just... try to keep in mind when you get here that I did save the cat. That's real important."

* * *

"So, Randy's out of the hospital?"

Dani retrieved a bottle of cold water from the fridge, taking a quick swig to wet her throat, before turning around to answer her Aunt Caroline.

"He was only kept in the ICU overnight for observation," Dani answered, wiping her lower lip. "The doctors say that his arm should heal up in a few weeks. It wasn't a bad break."

"What's the official word?" Uncle Paul called out from his chair in the living room.

Dani followed the sound of her uncle's voice, with Aunt Caroline walking close behind her. Her aunt's platform shoes clopped against the floor noisily, making far less noise than the squeaking of Dani's sneakers. Uncle Paul looked up from the book he was reading as the two ladies entered the room. Aunt Caroline promptly went over to the couch where Wes sat with his laptop, adjusting so that the shawl she wore draped over the couch like a cape.

"Sorry, Uncle Paul," Dani said, not bothering to sit down. "What was that?"

"What'd your friend say to his parents?" Uncle Paul clarified. "About how he broke his arm? I mean, the ghost hunting thing is still a secret, right?"

"Oh, right." Dani took another drink before going on. "He told his Mom that he tripped and fell down a flight of stairs while they were at the mall."

"That's all?" Aunt Caroline asked, looking skeptical.

"Randy was still covered in his ecto-armor when he fell over the side of the building," Dani explained. "That protected most of him, but he still got a little bruised up, and his arm hurt. So they had to think of something."

"What sort of nutcase gives ghost hunting gear to a bunch of high school freshmen?" Wes asked unexpectedly.

Dani opened her mouth to yell at Wes, but then thought about the question seriously.

"Huh."

Well, it's not my place to tell Randy's parents what he's up to," Aunt Caroline warned, "unless he's doing something that could put him in serious danger."

"I think ghost hunting qualifies, Mom," Wes pointed out, before going back to his laptop screen.

"Have you learned anything more about this Professor Wraitheon, Dani?" Uncle Paul asked her, looking up from his book again.

"No," Dani said at once, letting her concern show. "I asked my parents, but they'd never heard of her before. It may just be that she's kept a low profile until now."

"Well, much as you may not like it, if Randy or any of his friends are hurt hunting ghosts again, I'll have to tell their parents what's been going on."

Aunt Caroline was giving Dani a serious look now.

"Perhaps you should keep a closer eye on them from here on out," Uncle Paul advised gently, reaching over to give Dani's arm a light pat. "If they're insisting on making ghost hunting their career, you could give them pointers."

"I've tried," Dani replied flatly. "Believe me. None of them like having me around very much. Well, okay. That's a lie. Randy and Dexter seemed fine with it, but up until recently, Alice and I really didn't get along."

"She probably just hates the competition," Wes offered, not bothering to look at Dani.

"Shut up, Wes," Dani barked, before turning back to her aunt. "I guess I'm also not really thrilled with the idea of working with Professor Wraitheon. There's something about her that feels suspicious."

"I'd feel better knowing you were keeping an eye on those three," Aunt Caroline said, looking grave. "You're the one with the ghost powers, and more importantly, you have the experience."

"I'm sure Alice will warm up to you eventually," Uncle Paul added encouragingly. "By the way, what are your plans for tonight?"

It was New Year's Eve and Randy had called to extend an invitation to celebrate the new year at his house. Her aunt and uncle had shut down the museum for the day, announcing that they planned a quiet evening for themselves.

"Wes is opting to stay in with us and work on his conspiracy website," Aunt Caroline said, reaching over to squeeze Wes's shoulder affectionately. "But that doesn't mean you have to stay here, Dani."

"Especially if you have other plans," threw in Uncle Paul.

"I was actually going over to Randy's," Dani informed, taking one last long drink from her water bottle, draining it. "He invited me to ring in the new year at his house with some friends."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Aunt Caroline said, looking pleased. "I'm sure he'll appreciate the company."

"Especially after just getting out of the hospital," Uncle Paul agreed.

"They shouldn't have taken your friend to the hospital here in Kingsport Falls," Wes warned abruptly. "It's run by the Salurian lizard people. They charge double for all ICU ward patients."

"Now, we've already talked about this, Wes," Aunt Caroline chided, giving Wes an unexpected scolding. "That theory was disproven two years ago."

"I'm not convinced," Wes retorted, typing furiously on his keyboard.

"I can be home a little after midnight, though," Dani offered, looking from Aunt Caroline to Uncle Paul. "If any of you want to ring in the new year together. It'll be late, but..."

"Stay as long as you want," Aunt Caroline told Dani, smiling. "We'll all be fine. Go out and have fun with your friends. If we don't see you late tonight, we could always have a celebration brunch tomorrow morning."

"Have fun," Uncle Paul told her. "You deserve it after the last couple of months."

Dani hesitated a moment, then reached down to give her Uncle Paul a quick hug of thanks. She then zipped across the living room to do the same to Aunt Caroline.

"Does this mean I can stay out late?" Wes asked.

"I thought you were working on your website," Aunt Caroline pointed out while Dani hurried for the door. "And didn't you tell me that all of your friends had plans tonight with their parents?"

"They do," Dani overheard Wes say as she rushed out the door. "I was just curious to see if you'd actually let me stay out after midnight."

Dani paused, curious as to how her aunt or uncle would respond.

"Maybe when you're older," Uncle Paul teased, before Dani could close the door. "Or when you develop the power to fire energy blasts out of your hands and fly."

Laughing, Dani closed the door behind her and quickly descended the dozen or so steps down to the sidewalk. The night air was cold and crisp. Snow fell from the cloud banks high above in a light spray. The streets were icy in patches, meaning drivers had dug out the snow chains for their tires, and were proceeding down the streets much more cautiously than normal.

"Lucky thing I've got an alternate means of travel," Dani whispered gleefully to herself, ducking down the first alley she came to.

Dani peered into the dark to confirm that the alley was clear.

"Going Ghost!" she said loudly, flashing via twin rings into Dani Phantom.

Taking to the sky, Dani flew through the snowy air, causing spirals of flakes to scatter and warp away from their intended path. Remembering Randy's instructions, Dani flew diagonally in a straight line above the rooftops in a southeastern direction. The streets below were darker the closer she got to Randy's house. As Randy had warned, this part of the city was a rough neighborhood.

Before she reached Randy's house, however, the roads grew brighter. The houses in this part of Kingsport Falls were on the smaller side of the spectrum, but well-kept and very nice. Spying the street Randy had given, Dani flew down closer to the ground and looked for the number she remembered from Randy's instructions.

The Carter house stood out amid the single-story homes for having a second level. Stopping just above the asphalt, Dani switched back to her human form with a quick pop and a flash of light. The lights were on in most of the downstairs windows. One room upstairs had what looked like a single lamp shining inside of it. The Carter family had yet to take down their Christmas decorates. Unlike the rest of the homes on the street, however, the Carter household had gone all out in decking their halls with row after row of lights.

Dani whistled, then looked back around at the houses all around, which had reefs on their doors and maybe a Christmas tree still shining in the windows.

"They're really into spreading the yuletide cheer at this place," she noted, heading up the walkway to the front door.

Reaching the door, Dani rang the bell and waited. There were voices coming from the other end, but too indistinct for her to make out what was being said. A moment later, someone opened the door. Dani stared at the young woman who looked maybe three or four years older than her–at least, going by appearances alone.

Dani doubted very much that Randy had a clone for a big sister, whom this girl seemed to be. Randy hadn't mentioned it, but their facial features and skin tone were similar enough that Dani felt confident in her deduction.

"Hi," she said, giving the shrewd-looking girl a wave. "I'm Dani Kraven. Randy invited me over for New Year's."

"Right." The young woman's tone was dry, and she didn't move right away to let Dani in. "Oh, well. Guess I was gettin' too old to crash high school parties anyhow."

The young woman did finally step back, opening the door farther, so Dani could enter. The house's interior was warm and inviting, decorated in a very pragmatic, yet oddly comfortable style. The most ostentatious occupant was the enormous Christmas tree over by a side window in the living room beyond the foyer.

"Randy's upstairs," his big sister explained, giving the door a hard slam behind Dani. "He said some friends were comin'. I'd hoped he was teasin' me since I got so much shit to do for college. Guess I'll be headin' out for the library after all."

"I think the library's closed," said Dani, unsure of how else to respond to this bit of exposition.

"The public library's shut down for New Year's," Randy's sister informed haughtily, following close behind in Dani's footsteps. "The college library's open all night, tho. Not that it's any 'a yo business."

A fake fireplace had been set up against the wall near the entrance to the living room from the foyer. Dani smiled at the sight of the bright red light heating the room. Both she and Randy's sister stopped in front of it; Dani, so she could warm her cold hands.

"Name's Raquelle," the girl introduced, watching Dani closely. "Guess you mus' be Randy's new girl, eh?"

"I..." Dani actually blushed a little. "We're just friends for right now."

Something moved out the corner of Dani's field of vision. She and Raquelle both turned toward the door frame, where a woman came through from the kitchen.

"I heard the door bell," the older lady said, making Dani think that this was Randy's mom. "Who's here, Raquelle?"

"One a' Randy's friends, Aunt Moesha," Raquelle said, tilting her head in Dani's direction. "She's here t' ring in th' new year with 'em, though she says they jus' friends."

Raquelle finished off this statement with a wry chuckle, like she'd just made a very funny joke. Dani was kind of relieved that Randy's apparent aunt didn't laugh either.

"I'm Dani," she said, introducing herself. "Danielle Kraven."

"I'm Randy's aunt, Moesha," the aunt said, stepping over to shake hands with Dani. "He's mention you a time 're two. People always sayin' they think I'm Randy's Momma."

"I... can't imagine why," Dani fumbled, accepting the handshake.

"No foolin'!" Aunt Moesha stroke a pose like she was suddenly on a photo shoot for a calender. "Young as I am, you'd think I be Raquelle's big sis 're sumthin'."

"Like hell," Raquelle muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I heard tha," Aunt Moesha said, giving Raquelle a sharp look before turning back to Dani. "Anyhews, Randy's mamma's somewhere in back, but I guess it's okay iffin you head on upstairs."

Dani opened her mouth to speak, but then caught the look on Raquelle's face. Randy's sister was making an exaggerated expression like she was blowing Dani a very wet kiss. The way her eyes bulged out, Dani thought she looked like a frog.

"I'll wait downstairs," Dani decided, not wanting to give Raquelle any ammunition. "Randy knew about what time I was coming over. He should be down soon."

"Good call," Raquelle said, striding past behind Dani, and giving her a sharp elbow to the shoulder blade. "Might not wanna ruin any chances you got now by gettin' downwind 'a Randy's bedroom. Safer tha' way, too."

"Oh, hush!" Aunt Moesha stepped forward to give Raquelle a sharp slap on the arm. "Like yo' room be any better. Hell, Randy's room gotta be twice as clean as yo' pigsty."

"My room ain't no mess!" Raquelle declared, though Dani noticed the older girl looked very nervous all of a sudden.

"'Cept f' all those dirty dishes yo' mamma's gotta send me upstairs t' get damn near each an' ev'ryday."

Dani sensed a fight coming, and wisely chose to step back out of the way. This movement caught Raquelle's eye, and she turned her glare on the teenage ghost girl.

"Where you goin'?" Raquelle demanded, making it sound like a challenge.

"Don' mine either 'a us, baby girl," Aunt Moesha reassured, giving Dani a sweet smile. "We always like this. An' don' you gotta go do some homework 're sumthin' tonight anyways?"

Aunt Moesha posed the question to Raquelle, who stopped glaring at Dani.

"Dunno why you think you gotta spend all yo' free time 'round here wit' Randy," Aunt Moesha continued. "You know yo' baby brother's got company comin'."

"Fine. Whatever!" Raquelle threw her arms up in surrender. "S' not like I gotta babysit 'em anymore."

Before Raquelle could stalk off to her room–or wherever else she might be headed–the doorbell rang again. Dani debated on answering it herself, but Raquelle stormed past before she could move toward it.

"I'll get it," Raquelle shouted loudly, aiming her voice up the flight of stairs in particular. "S' not like I got much else goin' on t'night! Unlike SOMEbody!"

Aunt Moesha scoffed, shaking her head after Raquelle.

"She always gotta be like tha'," the aunt explained. "Always gotta be center a' attention."

Raquelle returned before Aunt Moesha had finished speaking, this time with Alice in tow.

"I ain't gotta be center a' nuthin'," Raquelle declared, raising her head loftily up in the air as she strode past, heading for the stairway. "An' Randy can answer the door hisself from here on out. I got better shit t' do than run after his lazy ass!"

Alice watched Raquelle leave with an amused expression, like she had long since grown accustomed to this behavior.

"She's always like that," Alice said, once Raquelle was out of earshot. "I've known Randy's big sister since middle school. She was a senior at Arkham back then."

"An' how you been doin'?" Aunt Moesha stepped forward with both arms held forward to wrap Alice up in a tight, warm hug. "Yo' parents still got you runnin' circles all over town tryin' to make theyselves look good?"

"As always," Alice said, sounding tired briefly. "But things are better. I don't have nearly so many extracurriculars this year. Not like I did before."

"That's good. That's good." Aunt Moesha smiled. "You young. Ya'll got better shit t' do right now than try 'n be a grownup. Plenty a' time f' that later."

"Thanks, Aunt Moesha," Alice said, hugging the woman back quickly.

Aunt Moesha turned and–apparently worried that Dani would feel left out–gave the ghost girl a quick peck on the cheek.

"I gotta go see what's keepin' Randy and check on his mamma," she explained, backing away. "Be dears f' me an' answer th' door if somebody else shows up. Randy didn' say how many was comin' t'night."

"No problem," Dani said.

"I think we can handle door greeter duty," Alice replied wryly. "Tell Randy's mom I said hello, please."

"You'll be seein' her b'fore tonight's done f' sho," Aunt Moesha said. "But I'll let her know you said such, child. Love you both!"

"Love you too, Aunt Moesha," Alice said, her voice growing softer and trailing off into nothing.

"Interesting family Randy's got," Dani commented, unsure of what else to say now that she and Alice were alone in the living room together.

"You get used to them," Alice reassured her, though she herself seemed forlorn as she stared after Aunt Moesha. "And if I can, you'll have no trouble doing it."

Dani laughed.

"Thanks," she said; though, a morose thought immediately followed. "Randy... mentioned that he didn't see you at Heather McNamara's funeral."

"Couldn't find time away," Alice said crisply, the change in tone startling even for Dani. "And Heather and I hadn't been friends for a couple of years. Besides, you didn't go?"

Dani couldn't help but notice that Alice was avoiding looking at her.

"I'm not a fan of funerals," Dani said, studying her classmate. "And I barely knew Heather at all. It would have been awkward."

Thankfully, the doorbell rang before the conversation could continue. Dani and Alice each moved for the foyer. Each then stopped briefly when they noticed the other. At last, Dani took the initiative and headed for the door while Alice followed behind. Whoever was there had started knocking by this point. The door practically rattled on its hinges.

"What the hell?" Dani wondered. "Dexter must have have to use the bathroom something fierce."

"That's why we tell him to go before we leave anywhere," Alice replied jokingly.

Dani chuckled in response, then reached for the door handle. She and Alice were then greeted by a small mob standing crowded together on the welcome mat.

"Is this," one girl inquired, looking from Dani to Alice, "Randy Carter's place?"

"Ah, yeah." Dani gave the crowd a quick sweep, studying each one carefully. "Can we help you?"

"This is the place, guys!" one boy near the back called out, waving to someone.

"Thanks," the girl said, meanwhile, taking a step forward into the house. "We were all worried we'd gone to the wrong place. Nobody said anything about directions to tonight's New Year's party."

"New Year's party?" Alice blurted out. "What–?"

Alice was cut off by the mob surging forward, and Dani had to pull her back so that neither of them was trampled. As the crowd cleared the foyer, they saw cars lining up along the street through the still-open door. Several of the faces belonged to people Dani recognized from school. A number of them gave a shout, and began pairing up together so that a fresh mob approached the house like a swarm.

"How many people did Randy invite over for tonight?" Dani asked worriedly.

"Just as, as far as I know," answered Alice, while the mob scene poured in. "And... Dexter!"

Dani considered phasing herself and Alice through the wall to avoid the mass of human bodies pouring in, a couple of whom she noticed possessed questionable hygiene habits. There were too many, though, and too great a risk of being noticed.

"What about Dexter?" she asked, once the crowd had thinned enough to allow Dani to move closer to Alice.

Alice, meanwhile, did not look thrilled.

"I suspect our illustrious ASB president mentioned what he would be doing tonight," Alice explained, scowling at the people still coming through. "Some people might have gotten the wrong idea."

Understanding lit up in Dani's eyes.

"So people at school heard that Dexter was going to be at a friend's house on New Year's Eve," Dani concluded, putting the pieces together. "And somehow, a rumor spread over school that there was going to be a New Year's bash at Randy's tonight."

Dani was cut off from speaking any further as a sudden wisp of frosty breath escaped her mouth. Eyes, wide, she immediately searched the faces of the stragglers entering the house.

"My ghost sense," she said softly, leaning in toward Alice. "I think we might have an even bigger problem than Randy's, now."

* * *

"I'm home."

Dexter Ward froze as he stuck his head through the tent flap. Inside the Church of Starry Wisdom–his father, the reverand's, name for the unofficial religious group–people from across town stood milling with one another. Dexter did a quick head count and estimated about fifty or so odd citizens of Kingsport Falls, most of which fell into the 'culturally insignificant' side of the social scene.

"There you are!"

Dexter groaned inwardly, then swiveled his head to the left at the sound of his mother's voice.

"Hey, Mom," he greeted, the underwhelmed sound of his voice hard to miss even with the innane chatter going on all around. "Busy day for you and the Rev?"

Mrs. Ward glared sharply, her eyes drifting from Dexter off to one of the many occupants inside the tent, checking to see who might overhear.

"Not now, young man," she chided. "Go inside the trailer out back and change clothes. We have a meeting tonight. Don't you remember?"

It would have been improbable for even Dexter Ward to remember something he hadn't been informed of. These days, his parents hardly noticed him, except for when there was something they wanted.

"Would it do any good for me to say that you never bothered telling me," he retorted back with.

Dexter's tone had lost a good bit of his disinterest. Mrs. Ward noticed this and increased the intensity of her scowl. Dexter's only defense was to place the mask of teenage contempt he'd been perfecting since sixth grade over his countenance. While it prevented him from expressing any hurt feelings, the facade did nothing to numb the hurt.

"You are so lazy these days," Mrs. Ward scolded, looking Dexter over. "How is your father supposed to get any respect in this town if you walk around dressed like you do. And when are you going to get a haircut?"

"I had a school meeting to go to," he started to say, hoping to get a word in before his mother cut him off. "ASB president now, reme–"

Mrs. Ward shut down Dexter's protests by snatching him by the hair, getting a good grip in at the base of the scalp.

"Come with me," she ordered, dragging Dexter back out through the tent flap.

"Ow! Like you're giving me a choice?"

Mrs. Ward didn't let go until she had dragged Dexter around to the westward side of the tent. Dexter backed away as soon as he was released, putting enough distance between them so she couldn't grab him again.

"I don't care what you think you were doing this afternoon, young man," she went on, her face twisting into a ghoulish scowl. "You are not nearly responsible enough to be president of anything. I know you think your father and I are dunces, so whatever nasty little plans you have for tonight, consider them cancelled."

Dexter had expected this. It was why he hadn't mentioned to his parents that he would be spending New Year's Eve with his friends. The odds had been good that his mother would come up with a reason for him not to go. Lately, especially since he'd become a ghost hunter, Dexter's policy was to avoid them and wait until the coast was clear to slip away.

"I see," was all he could come up with.

"Good," she snapped, waving a dismissive hand at him like he was a bothersome fly. "Now get inside and change. I'll decide what to do with you later."

If history proved consistent, Dexter's mother would forget that she'd ever yelled at him in the first place. Dexter held in his anger and waited, knowing he would have a chance to leave once her back was turned.

"And one othe–" Mrs. Ward started to say, whirling back around.

Her tirade was stopped in mid-sentence, however. To Dexter's surprise, a rope sticking out from one of the tent pegs had become tangled around her feet. The rope stretched out much further from the peg than it should have, but Dexter was more confused by the fact that he hadn't noticed it earlier. All that left his head, though, as his mother began to wobble back and forth.

"Dexter!" she cried out in a panic. "What are you doing? Catch me, you little–"

Something small and fuzzy darted out from underneath the tent. The creature stopped behind his mother's feet, rubbing up against her heels. The added pressure was enough to send Mrs. Ward pitching forward to the ground. Dexter moved then, intent on catching her, but it was too late.

"Oooph!" Mrs. Ward cried out, before her mouth was filled with sod from the clearing where the tent stood.

Dexter hesitated, but his conscience won out in the end. Stepping forward, he reached down to help his mother up. The furry thing that had so cleverly brought her down had vanished while his attention had been diverted.

"Up you go," Dexter said, not bothering to ask if she was all right.

"Oh my stars!" Mrs. Ward exclaimed, once she was on her feet again. "Would you look at this? Do you have any idea what this means?"

"That you shouldn't wear heels outside in a field full of gopher holes?" Dexter kidded, smirking.

"This blouse is ruined!" Mrs. Ward gestured at the small grass stain that adorned the front of her clothing. "I have to run to the trailer and change before the opening ceremonies begin."

Dexter opened his mouth for one last sarcastic retort, but his mother was already racing off. Her heels sank down into several open gopher entrances in the ground, as Dexter had predicted. Each time, his mother came close to tripping and falling again.

"I guess it's no use pointing out that she could carry each shoe in one hand," he mused.

Dexter wandered back around the tent near the front. The white monstrocity had once belonged to a circus that had gone belly-up. His father had bought it at auction. People sometimes drove past down the main road leading out of Kingsport Falls to get a good look at it. The open clearing was surrounded by trees on three sides. The only other structure besides the tent occupying the space was the dilapidated trailer behind it. Luckily, most folks couldn't see that very well with the tent in the way.

Dexter was contemplating on whether or not he would give his mother's message to the reverend. Dexter's father would likely start the ceremony whether or not he or his mother was in attendance. Nobody in the crowd gathered would notice their absence. People either came to see a show, or for some kind of validation in their lives. Dexter wondered if, in the case of the latter, they were just looking for someone whose life was sadder than theirs.

He wondered then if he would be any different in their shoes.

"Hi!"

The figure that leaped out in front of him was neither small nor furry. She stood several inches shorter than him, but wore a pair of platform shoes, making it easy to look into her eyes. Those eyes were a sharp green; piercing and intelligent. The girl's clothes were odd, a hodge-podge mismatch of tastes and styles. Dexter found himself comparing her to old photos of gypsies. The style didn't match quite right, but she had the right attitude to go along with the Bohemian punk attire.

Then it occurred to him that a cute girl had just stepped in his path to say hello.

"Oh, sorry!" he blurted out, nearly punching her in the gut with his hand in his effort to shake with hers. "Ward. Charles, I mean. Wait, no. I'll get it right eventually."

The girl's face was round, but narrowed near the nose. She was still adorable; slender, but in a very organic way. Dexter's behavior didn't appear to have flummoxed her in the slightest.

"I'm Mynx," she said, grabbing hold of Dexter's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Your name is Dexter, isn't it?"

Dexter paused to double check his memory and confirm whether or not this was true.

"Yes!" he answered at last, raising both arms up over his head, which meant that he inadventently pulled the girl named Mynx toward him.

"That is it... oh, shit! I'm so sorry. My bad!"

Mynx laughed, and it sounded like tiny bells in his ears.

"You're funny," she said, not trying to move away. "I like that."

Dexter could feel the warmth of her body seeping into his from where they were pressed together. He could feel his nose itch, reacting to the strange perfume she wore. It was an earthy fragrance, like some kind of herb. Going on this, he figured her for some sort of alternative medicine neo-hippie.

There had been a lot of different subcultures in and out of the reverend's tent over the years.

"Did you come here with somebody?" he asked, helping her straight up, but not letting go entirely. "Like your parents?"

"Um, yeah," Mynx agreed, nodding. "I came here... with family. But, to be honest, I was hoping I might run into you. Someone said that you lived here."

"Oh..." Dexter's brain took a minute to reboot from the fact that a girl wanted to meet with him. "Wait, you came to see me?"

"Oh, yes." Mynx's smile was impish, like a cat sizing up a mouse before eating. "I've heard a lot about you from school, Dexter Ward. You're quite the character."

"Thanks!" Dexter's self-satisfaction died a quick death, then. "Wait, was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult. 'Cuz, sometimes I have trouble telling the difference with women."

In answer, Mynx looped one of her arms around Dexter's, linking them together.

"That help?" she asked, to which Dexter swallowed a lump that formed in his throat. "You don't have to worry about other girls around me, Dexter Ward. I'm one of a kind."

"Yeah, I'm getting that," Dexter squeaked out as Mynx began walking them both away from the tent. "Um, so where were you thinking of going?"

"With you," Mynx said, after giggling. "Anywhere we chose to. Did you have a specific place in mind for us to be tonight?"

The sound of gears turning in Dexter's skull groaned in his own ears.

"There was..." he started to say, before faltering. "Um, I think there was somewhere I was supposed to be. Just a friend's house, but–"

"We can go there," Mynx interrupted, skipping forward in a rush. "I'd love to meet some of your friends. That sounds like fun!"

"Great!" Dexter stumbled, trying to keep up. "Whoa, maybe slow down a little?"

Mynx was in far too big of a rush to reach the street. "Maybe we could have a quick look around town on our way there?" she offered coyly.

"Sure." Dexter realized that they were almost to the street, but Mynx wasn't slowing down. "I think this is the part where they taught us to look both ways before crossing. It was on a test in first grade, in fact."

"Don't worry," Mynx dismissed, dragging Dexter out into the road with her. "Somebody will stop for us. That's how it always is."

Dexter would have picked that moment to protest, but the headlights of an oncoming car appeared off to the side, negating any reason. The driver of said vehicle blared their horn, warning both teens to move out of the way. Dexter shielded his eyes, frozen with indecision over whether he ought to yank Mynx and himself back or shove her forward.

Another noise–like the sound of a bullet exiting the barrel of a gun–exploded all around. The headlights swerved, and the oncoming car somehow veered away from them into the ditch. Dexter hadn't moved; neither had Mynx, but they were both somehow still alive.

"See, what'd I tell you?" Mynx was dragging Dexter along, whose feet didn't want to cooperate. "They know to get out of the way. Let's keep moving!"

"Wha?–" Dexter mumbled, meanwhile, still not certain that they were alive. "What just happened...?"

* * *

"Let's recap."

Dani and Alice stood at each other's side, staring at the crowd of people amassed in Randy's living room. One party-goer had already commandeered the TV and switched over to a Latest Hits channel. The moment a hip-pop dance number filled the air, people leaped up to shake their collective "grooves thangs". A few lingered in the furniture, chatting with one another while taking handfuls out of the lone bowl of popcorn that Randy's aunt had left there a few minutes ago.

Randy's mother, meanwhile, had already vanished. The moment the crowd burst through her front door, she ran up the stairs, presumably for his room. Dani had a feeling Randy's ears were burning right about now, and not from her thinking of him.

"We have about two dozen or so guests in Randy's living room," Alice was saying, giving the cluster of people suspicious glares. "And one of them, at least, is a potential ghost in disguise."

"That's about it," Dani agreed, verifying Alice's statement. "Which one, though?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Alice said, having to talk louder than usual because of the noise. "It was your ghost sense."

"It hasn't gone off since then," Dani replied, watching the crowd herself. "Most ghosts can't maintain a human disguise for very long. I get away with it because I'm half human."

"Right," Alice grumbled. "Any chance it was just a glitch?"

"Could be." Dani paused as the sound more than one set of footsteps clomped down the stairs above the din. "I haven't had that happen before, though..."

Randy appeared below the stair landing midway down, his right forearm encased in a small cast. The teen stared in shock out at the crowd of people dancing in his house. Behind him, his mother alternated between scowling down at the uninvited guests and drilling holes in the back of her son's head. To his credit, Randy didn't exactly looked thrilled at the moment.

"Hey, Randy!" Dani waved, getting his attention. "I... guess this wasn't what you had in mind when you said we should _all_ get together for New Year's, huh?"

Randy still looked shocked as he finished scaling down the stairs, rounding the banister the moment he touched down on the first floor to join Dani and Alice.

"How?" he asked, slightly horrified by the sight. "Did either of you...?"

Dani noticed that Randy seemed to be looking at Alice more than her. Alice, for her part, did not appreciate the gesture.

"No, we most certainly didn't!" Alice exclaimed, loud enough that a few people turned to stare.

"We think it was Dexter," Dani explained, hoping to calm Alice down a little. "By accident. He probably mentioned what he would be doing tonight, and some people got the wrong idea."

"The school's rumor mill would've done the rest," Alice went on, still looking angry. "I'm still going to blame Dexter for this as much as I can."

"You 'n me both," Randy agreed, scowling. "Man, my mom came upstairs t' flip on me. I thought maybe you two'd jus' gotten here 'n was crankin' up the TV!"

"No such luck," said Alice.

"Do we tell everybody to leave?" Dani asked, noticing how Randy's mother was watching them closely. "If... it'll help keep you outta trouble, I could overshadow everyone and make them walk out."

Randy laughed.

"Nah," he replied, dismissing the notion with a wave of his hand. "M' mom's pretty cool. Yeah, she pissed off right now, but she'll be fine. They just can' stay long."

"That's one problem solved," Alice announced, looking relieved. "Now we just have to deal with the ghost running lose in your house."

Randy's eyes almost doubled in size.

"Say what now?"

"A ghost," Dani reiterated, while Randy looked on. "My ghost sense went off while people were filing in. One the guests here isn't human."

"She means, aside from herself," Alice added for clarification. "For a change."

Randy looked as though he would have been happier dealing with his angry mother.

"Great," he moaned. "This ain't how ah's plannin' t' spend New Year's, ya'll know. Ah's thinkin' we'd just chill on the couch."

Randy's eyes drifted over to the couch, which was currently experiencing a surplus of activity.

"It wasn't my idea either," Alice replied, looking warily in the same direction Randy was. "But, we're all ghost hunters here, and this is what we do."

"No rest for the wicked," Dani concurred. "I haven't pinned down which one is the ghost, but it's a small enough space. No offense."

"None taken," Randy said. "Least there's sumthin' good 'bout th' situation."

"Right." Alice nodded, then pulled out her cell phone. "I'll scan for an ecto-signature. The app that Professor Wraitheon gave us should pinpoint the ghost's position."

"You can do that?" Dani wondered, giving Alice a suspicious glance. "Then why'd you need me to try and use my ghost sense earlier."

"I was hoping you'd show me more about your powers," Alice replied loftily, holding her phone up.

Before Alice could bring up the app, all three of their cell phones went off at the same time.

"It's from Dexter," Dani said, once she'd retrieved hers.

"Same," Randy noted. "He says he's on his way, an' bringin' a friend too."

"It's safe to say he's already accomplished that already," Dani muttered, glancing around.

"I'm really not in the mood to talk to him now," said a very angry-looking Alice as she glared down at the screen of her phone. "We'll deal with him and this mess afterward. This is official ghost-hunting business."

"Right," Dani agreed, slipping her own phone back into her pocket while a group of party-goers walked in front of her. "Well, let's get started. We–"

Dani was cut off by her Ghost Sense, the wisp of frosty air rising up out of her mouth in place of words. Almost at the same time, someone Dani didn't recognize walked up to Randy.

"Hey, brua! Cool cast," the older teenager said, flipping Randy the peace sign. "Mind if I sign it real quick?"

"Nah," said Randy, though he looked questioningly at Dani. "No problem. Ah, I ain't gotta pen or nuthin' for you–"

"No worries, man," the fellow replied, fishing a marker out of his back pocket. "I always come prepared. Never know when you might need one 'a these damn things. Hear what I'm sayin'?"

"'Sho nuff."

Randy held still while Dani and Alice watched, each studying the spiky-haired teen with the single earring and the fake teardrop tattoo imprinted under his left eye.

"There!" the stranger declared a moment later, having drawn a characature of himself riding on a skateboard made out of his name, which was revealed to be Nathan.

"Thanks," said Randy, which got him a salute from Nathan before he walked off. Randy waited until his autographer was out of sight before turning to Dani. "That him?"

"Her ghost sense went off right as he walked up to you," Alice pointed out, looking excited. "I'd say that confirms it."

"It may be too soon to tell," Dani warned. "My ghost sense isn't a GPS locator. And he wasn't the only one near me."

Alice didn't look happy about this.

"That still leaves us with a room full of suspects, then," she grumbled, looking out at the crowd with a suspicious stink eye.

"Nathan could still be our ghost," Dani reminded, touching Alice's on the shoulder encouragingly. "You go keep an eye on him. Scan him with that ecto-tracer... whatever app you called it."

"What?" Alice didn't look like she understood Dani's plan. "You want me to just walk up to some random guy and flash my phone in front of his face?"

"He ain't gonna mind," Randy assured her. "B'lieve me."

"Yeah," Dani agreed. "Just wave your phone at him and say that it's some new dating app that confirms whether or not a person is date material. Guys will believe that."

Randy cleared his throat.

"Most guys would believe that," Dani corrected. "At least, Nathan seemed like the guy who wouldn't automatically think you suspected him of being a ghost."

"That, I'll buy," said Randy.

Alice thought back to when Nathan was speaking to Randy, and looked in the direction of where he'd gone.

"You may have a point," she acknowledged, stepping out into the crowd. "Wait here while I confirm our suspect."

Randy edged his way over next to Dani the moment Alice was gone. Dani didn't move away; in fact, she felt a smile tug at the edges of her mouth. Randy was doing his damnedest to seem relaxed, but Dani suspected he was going through a different sort of struggle on the inside that had nothing to do with their ghost hunt.

"I'm glad we got together tonight," she revealed, nudging against Randy lightly. "Even if this wasn't how we'd planned it."

"Yeah," Randy said, his face betraying the nervousness building inside him. "I, ah... Do you wanna dance real quick? B'fore Alice comes back."

Dani took Randy by the hand and pulled him away from the wall without saying a word. The living room was still serving as a make-shift dance club. Presently, the music was a fast-paced club remix that was easy enough to sway to, even for those with less than stellar moves. Dani felt herself get into the rhythm as she matched her movements along to Randy's. It dawned on her that this was the first time she'd danced with a guy in a long while.

"We should do this more often," she said, sliding up behind Randy. "Have fun, I mean. Seems like ghosts are the only time any of us hang out together."

"I feel ya." Randy tensed at Dani's touch, but then his body relaxed into her's. "Didn't think you 'n Alice were too keen to be inna same room, though."

"We're breaking the ice," Dani said, turning so that Randy could lead for a moment. "Things are still tense, but she's growing on me."

"Same way wit' here," Randy whispered near Dani's ear. "She ain't so bad. Alice, I mean; just takes a while f' her t' warm up to people."

The song ended, and went right into a slow number. Dani didn't pull away, giving Randy an open invitation to keep right on dancing with her. To her surprise, he was bold enough to wrap his arms around her waste. Dani felt his body press into Randy's of its own accord.

"She strikes me as someone who doesn't make friends easily," Dani replied, though her voice skipped a little at having Randy so near. "I mean, I get that. I didn't have many friends at my old school. It was just me and my family for a long time."

"Alice used t' run wit' a different crew way back inna day." Randy paused in mid-explanation to turn Dani around so they were face-to-face. "'Member th' girl who got killed a few weeks ago?"

"Heather McNamara," Dani confirmed, frowing. "I heard she and Alice used to be close."

"Best friends," Randy revealed, looking away from Dani for a moment at something in the distance. "'Till McNamara 'n Angie Ellery started hangin' with Pamela Wells."

The picture was becoming clearer to Dani. It sounded as though Alice had taken the loss of her own circle of friends hard. She could understand why the girl had been protective of her friends. Aside from Dani's half-ghost status, Alice would have seen Dani as a threat. It had been one thing to introduce Dani to the only two members of her group.

"When you and I started getting closer," Dani mused quietly, resting her head on Randy's shoulder, "Alice must've thought history was repeating itself."

Randy didn't respond at first. Dani worried that she had upset him with all the morbid talk about losing friends and the death of a classmate. She knew Randy and Heather McNamara hadn't been close, but in retrospect, it wasn't the best topic of conversation while snuggling together on a dance floor.

"Guess I blew the mood with this one," she bemoaned. "If it's any consolation, sorry."

"What, no." Randy gave Dani's arm a light tap. "You ain't done nuthin' that I wasn't about to. Look over there by th' door, real quick."

Dani withdrew herself from Randy far enough to turn and look. A shady figure was lurking in the shadows just beyond the foyer, watching the crowd move back and forth amongst themselves. His face was kept down, but as a car passed down the road outside, it's headlights flashed in the bay window. Dani got a brief glimpse thanks to that of an older man.

"The hell?" she wondered.

"We movin'?" Randy asked, steeling himself to charge.

Dani looked at the figure once more, then around the room.

"Too many civilians," she decided. "And Alice isn't back yet. We still don't know what sort of haunt we're dealing with here."

Someone passed by Dani, blocking her view. When she could see into the foyer again, the figure had disappeared.

"We've got a runner," she told Randy. "But he can't have gotten very far. Start searching through the crowd."

"I didn' get a good look at 'em," he warned, as Dani marched away toward the foyer. "How'll I know?"

"I saw him," Dani called back, still going. "It'll be someone much older than the others."

That didn't make a whole lot of sense to Randy.

"What kinda ghost crashes a party full 'a high school kids 'n doesn't disguise themselves?"

* * *

"Ohh! Let's get off here!"

Mynx didn't give Dexter time to protest, or even think about what she was pointing at. The quirky girl grabbed hold of the brake line for the bus they were on, forcing the driver to stop at the nearest curb.

"What?" Dexter asked, finding himself thrown forward along with every other passenger on board.

"Come on."

Mynx grabbed Dexter by the hand and yanked him up out of the seat. For such a slender girl, she had amazing strength, to say nothing of her phenomenal grip. Dexter felt like his fingers had been shoved into an iron vice. The next thing he knew, Mynx and he were standing near a corner on the sidewalk downtown.

"Um, this wasn't our stop. I don't think..." a bewildered Dexter said, looking around.

"I wanted to see this place," Mynx insisted, pointing at a spot down the row of shops. "It smells really great. Let's get some food."

Dexter realized as Mynx grabbed him by the hand that she'd been indicating a chinese restaurant. The Lucky Cat Chinese Buffet was lit up like a Christmas tree in the growing darkness. Dusk had settled over Kingsport Falls, and with it, a growing dread in Dexter's stomach.

"I... ah, really don't have a whole lot of money with me," Dexter stammered, which was a large exaggeration of the facts. Outside of his Bus Pass, which was kept on his phone, he was flat broke.

"It'll be all right," Mynx dismissed, pushing Dexter through the swinging door. "Good things always happen. Just like before."

It took a moment for Dexter to realize she was talking about the car blowing a tire while they were in the road. In the meantime, the hostess behind the podium was looking between the two of them expectantly.

"Two?" she asked, holding up two fingers.

"That's right," Mynx said, grabbing Dexter by the arm again. "Oh, but non-smoking please. Cigarette smoke makes me sneeze real bad."

The hostess grinned and stepped out from behind her station, motioning for them to follow. Dexter looked around anxiously, wondering if the people sitting around eating could smell poverty on him. It dawned on him that he should be more worried about the restaurant owners, and whether or not they would actually make him wash dishes like on those old commercials.

Of course, the more likely scenario was that the owners would call the cops. Dexter pictured himself sitting in a cell as midnight came, ringing in the new year with a cellmate named Bubba who insisted he take the bottom bunk. He wasn't sure why, but the last part terrified him.

"Here," the hostess said, leading them to a romantic spot beneath an ornamental lamp hanging overhead. "Your server will be with you shortly to take your drink orders. Help yourselves to the buffet, and we hope you enjoy."

Dexter didn't sit down. Mynx was looking over at a statue resting atop a narrow stand. The statue was made of glass, shaped to fit a white cat with one paw raised up like it was waving.

"Did you not hear the part earlier where I said I couldn't afford to eat here?" Dexter asked, trying to keep his voice low.

"Oh, quit worrying, will you?"

Dexter thought this request over. "Um, no?"

Mynx sighed and began pulling on his arm, trying to drag him over toward the buffet. Dexter resisted at first, but Mynx was again deceptively strong. That, and a stomach that hadn't eaten dinner, won over his sensibilities.

"I'll do something about it when the time comes," Mynx promised, offering him a smile and a plate for the buffet. "Let's eat. I could chow down on this whole place."

Dexter chuckled, taking the plate her offered in both hands.

"My friends are always going on about how much I eat," he told her, taking the spot in line directly behind Mynx. "They say I'm some sort of black hole, or a bottomless pit."

"That's mean," Mynx said, frowning at him while she loaded her plate up with food. "Why would friends say that about you?"

Dexter wasn't sure how to answer that.

"I... dunno," he admitted, filling his own plate up as well. "It's always been that way, though, so I'm not particularly worried about it."

The conversation paused so that the two could work their way down the line, snatching up as much food as they could get their hands on. Each of them had a small mountain of edible delights by the time they got to the other end.

"I like to eat," Mynx informed of herself. "And I like being with someone who likes to eat, too. Let's go back to our table and you can tell me more about yourself."

Mynx was able to balance her plate on one hand. More people had decided to pass through the buffet again, perhaps out of fear that there would be nothing left for them. Dexter watched as Mynx wove her lithle body in and out of the oncoming crowd. He was having a harder time of it, stopping more than once to keep from bumping into someone. His hands clutched at the plate like it might go flying off and splatter all over one of the other restaurant patrons.

"Made it," he said, once he got back to his seat.

Mynx was already sitting, eating away happily at some seasoned pork.

"Sit," she told him, pointing to his chair. "Eat. We still have that place you wanted to show me."

"Too bad the bus is gone now," Dexter said, doing as Mynx bid. "I'll have to check and see if another one is coming our way. It's too far from here to walk to Randy's neighborhood."

Mynx didn't look particularly interested. Her mind appeared to be on food, and on watching the people around her. The silence wasn't exactly uncomfortable, so Dexter resigned himself to it. The food was good, but he still felt uneasy about eating. From what Dexter had observed on the rom-com movies he watched in secret at night, guys were expected to pay for dinner on a date. Mynx had assured him that she could take care of it. He figured she had a credit card stashed on her somewhere.

Dexter finished off his plate, and was about to get up for a second pass on the buffet, when the server from earlier approached with their check.

"Thank you so much," she said, smiling Dexter's way. "Please, come again."

Dexter looked down at the check left at the edge of the table. It felt like a sign of impending doom. Worse, neither of them had gotten drinks, and he was getting thirsty.

"I'd forgotten how salty Chinese food is," he complained, mentally calculating the total of their combined orders. "Furthermore, I don't think the addition on this is right."

Mynx solved the issue by snatching the check up and casually tearing it in half.

"Done," she reasserted calmly, going back to her crowd watching while Dexter stared incredulously across the table at her.

Again, Dexter found himself about to say something. His words caught in his throat, this time by a calamity breaking out behind him. Turning, Dexter saw one of the servers pitching forward. A tray full of drinks flew across at a couple sitting several feet away.

"Oh, sure," Dexter bemoaned, though he was halfway kidding. "They get drinks, but the rest of us over here in the corner have to go without."

The server hadn't stopped moving. Whatever his foot had caught on, making him trip, was still attached. The poor serve found himself flying into the table where the now-drenched couple sat, sliding across it like a plane coming down for a landing. The table collapsed sideways, spilling food, liquid, and an embarrassed server onto the floor while the shocked couple screamed.

"Now's our chance," Mynx said without warning, getting to her feet. "While nobody's looking at us!"

Dexter didn't have a chance to ask what she meant. It became evident momentarily when she pulled him up out of his chair. Dexter worried that his arm was going to pop out of his socket at this rate. Mynx was dragging him along, keeping close to the wall where there were fewer people sitting. Most of the customers were still watching the scene unfold.

"Wait here just a moment."

Dexter complied, mostly because he was just glad to have his arm free of her grip. Mynx had released him, and was now stepping forward, her footfalls lightly moving in the direction of the cashier. Dexter waited as Mynx pointed a finger at the register. To his shock, the machine started going haywire.

"Let's go," said Mynx, backing up to grab hold of Dexter's wrist.

Dexter watched in shock while being towed out the door. The register was coughing up roll upon roll of blank receipts. Sparks flew, which somehow caused the change drawer to fly open, nailing the cashier in the stomach.

"How did–" Dexter fumbled as he and Mynx exited out into the sidewalk. "Something tells me that wasn't an accident."

"This way!" Mynx was saying, waving at him to follow.

Dexter faltered, watching as Mynx took off through the crowd. Then he looked back at the restaurant, where it looked like the owner and a few employees had gathered. Among them was the server that had brought them the ticket. The moral dilemma didn't last more than a second once the server looked out the window at him.

"Wait up!" he called out, chasing after.

* * *

"Any luck?"

Dani was startled by Alice's sudden presence behind her.

"Sorry," Alice added quickly. "I guess we can't hear each other very well with all the noise. It's a wonder the cops haven't shown up yet."

"I give it another hour before Randy's mother calls them herself," Dani guessed, though she didn't actually know the woman that well. It still seemed like a reasonable estimate.

"Where were you?" Dani went on, before turning back to the foyer wall she'd been examining when Alice arrived.

"Talking to our suspect," Alice answered promptly, holding up her phone. "He's clean, by the way. The scanner app turned up negative."

"Oh, really?" Dani pressed both hands into the wall, phasing the ghostly appendages through solid matter. "What took you so long, then? Randy's searching through the crowd right now. We think it might be a different guest than the Nathan guy."

"You think the ghost is hiding in that wall?" Alice asked, interested.

"Not really." Dani sighed and withdrew her palms. "I thought there might be a secret panel or something. The guy Randy and I saw wasn't doing anything suspicious, aside from being too old to party crash a high school New Year's celebration."

"You saw some old guy lurking in the foyer?" Alice thought about that. "Yes, that would strike me as being suspicious. And creepy."

"Very creepy, but you didn't answer my question." Dani gave Alice a sly smirk. "Did someone have fun talking with the cute cast artist?"

Alice blushed red and looked away.

"I... may have given him my number," she admitted, looking pleased with herself. "But I doubt very much it'll go anyway. So, we're looking for an old guy, eh?"

Randy came over at that moment, holding his own phone out.

"Can't find nobody here that ain't s'posed to be," he announced, the screen on his phone showing a digital needle, which began jumping at Dani's presence. "'Least, besides everybody here, almost."

"But no creepy old men hiding in corners," Dani guessed, sighing. "Well, there's no hidden passage behind this wall. I checked. Either our perp phased through it, or he's really good at moving through a crowd without getting noticed."

Randy looked around Alice at the wall in the foyer that Dani was talking about.

"Why...?" he began to ask, but Dani cut him off.

"I lived in Amity Park," she reminded, "which is Ghost Central, in case you'd forgotten. You stop discounting all those old haunted house cliches after you've been in the ghost hunting business a while."

"Except this house isn't haunted," Alice verified. "Professor Wraitheon had us check all of our homes for residual ghost energy when we first joined."

"'Cept there's one here now," Randy reminded. "Meaning we got ourselves a freeloader that needs evicting. Preferably by midnight."

"Okay, then." Dani searched through the faces in the crowd. "Where would you go if you were at a party that nobody invited you to?"

"To the food table," Alice gave at once, "if you're Dexter."

"To the restroom," Randy followed up with, "iffin you've drank as much soda as most folks here tonight have."

"Or upstairs," Dani threw in, which got her looks from both Randy and Alice. "What? I have seen parties before."

"They better not have," Randy scowled, looking upward. "I hope I ain't gonna be changin' my bedsheets right after I just washed."

Alice looked repulsed, and a shudder went through her whole body like she'd just been overshadowed.

"Let's not suggest anything remotely connected to old man sex, shall we?"

"I'm on board with that," Dani said. "Alice, you check the food bowl. Randy, see if there's anyone hiding in the bathrooms. I'll do a quick run-through of the second floor."

"Right," Randy agreed, and started walking away.

"Sorry," Alice said crispily, which made Randy pause. "But who put you in charge?"

"No one," Dani countered with, unsurprised by the challenge. "I can search upstairs faster than either of you if I Go Ghost. The food and restrooms are much closer."

Dani didn't give Alice another opportunity to resist following her orders. Stepping back out of sight, she flashed into Dani Phantom, then disappeared into the air and through the ceiling. Randy watched her go, then saw Alice's askance expression.

"You gonna wait 'round here all night?" he asked, leaving her alone by the front door.

"Fine," Alice grumbled. "But I don't like taking orders from a ghost girl. It just sounds so... uncivilized."

Upstairs, Dani flew up through the floor and began a sweep of each room, remaining both invisible and intangible the entire time. Moments later, she had completed her investigation.

"Hmm, nothing," she noted, still in doubt. "So why does it feel like I'm being watched?"

Dani's ghost sense went on, leaving a trail of frosty breath leading up to the second floor ceiling. The chill that accompanied the power being triggered left he briefly unnerved.

"I guess that answers that question," she mused. "Now, which room would our uninvited party crasher have taken refuge in?"

The upstairs area had four bedrooms and one bath. Dani listened closely, noticing a repeated noise echoing in the background. It had escaped her attention the first time because of the party going on downstairs. Tracing the sound, she found herself standing outside the locked door to Raquelle's room. Flashing back to her first sweep, Dani recalled a Gamestation system in this room. Randy's sister, it seems, was an avid gamer when she wasn't studying.

"Hello?" Dani called out after phasing her head through the door. "Room service?"

A small, ghostly figure was sitting on the floor at the foot of Raquelle's bed. One of the Gamestation controllers rested in his lap. The ghost was baby-faced, the picture of modern innocence. Presently, though, his eyes were narrowed in furious concentration as he mashed away at buttons, firing blast after blast at space invaders.

Dani hovered through the door and landed next to him, giving the boy a light tap on the shoulder.

"Sorry, kid," she said in her best threatening voice. "Playtime is over. Time for you to pack up and move on."

The kid stuck his tongue out at her and went right back to playing.

"Look, kid," she warned, raising a glowing fist. "You're a ghost, and that means you're probably a lot older than you look. Cut this crap out and get out of my friend's house before I make you leave."

"Relax," the kid said, still keeping both eyes locked on the screen. "I'll be out of here before the little hand is on the twelve."

"You mean, midnight?" Dani lowered her palm, extinguishing the ectoplasmic glow. "I'd rather you left now. Why come here of all places, anyway?"

The kid shrugged, a gesture that made him seem cute again.

"Got nowhere else to go," he said, bitting his lower lip while several space fighters zeroed in on his craft. "Not 'till my turn starts."

"Your turn?" Dani looked at the screen, then down at the controller in his tiny hands. "I'm pretty sure it's been your turn, kid. And stop thinking I'd fall for such a lame fib."

The fighter on the screen expoded into dust, and was followed up by a 'Game Over' screen.

"Dammit!" the kid swore, throwing the controller away. "See what you made me do!"

Dani started to answer with something appropriately scathing, but the temper tantrum vanished just as quickly as it had arrived.

"I wasn't even talking about that anyway," the ghost kid said, looking around the room as he got to his feet. "I meant before it's my turn to start the new year. My turn begins at the stroke of midnight."

Dani blinked, going back over each part of what the spectral boy had said to her.

"You mean," she said, working it all out. "You're the spirit of the New Year?"

The ghostly kid nodded, not really paying Dani much attention.

"The old spirit's downstairs," he went on, opening one of Raquelle's dresser drawers to peek inside. "Last time I checked, he was, anyhow. We haven't spoken much. I just got here earlier today, and now I'm supposed to take his place."

"The old spirit?" It came to Dani in a flash. "The old guy I saw downstairs. That was the spirit of this year, the year that's about to end!"

"He's weird."

The kid made a face at whatever he saw inside Raquelle's drawer. Backing away, he left it open, wandering aimlessly around the room for a moment. The ghostly kid's eyes seemed eager to take in as much as he could.

"We're supposed to go to a New Year's celebration together," the kid continued, while the eager Dani Phantom listened. "Ring in my start together. He dies, and I start off the next year."

Something horrible struck Dani then.

"What would happen if someone captured the spirit of the old year?" she asked, a thread of worry weaving its way into her voice. "Like, would that stop the old year from ending?"

"I dunno." The ghostly kid didn't look terribly concerned by the idea. "It might, I guess."

Hearing this, Dani flew for the door, phasing through it without slowing down.

"I've got to warn Randy and Alice," she said, while another thought worked its way through her mind, making her turn back around, "before they do something terrible that we can't reverse!"

Dani's head phased back into Raquelle's room. The ghostly kid that embodied the coming year had barely moved. Spotting her, he looked at Dani curiously.

"By the way," she said very fast. "Even though the whole world might be in danger, I gotta know: why'd the two of you pick this party?"

"Ask the old year," the kid advised, unflustered. "It was his choice to come here. The old one always picks. He said something about the girls being here. I wasn't really paying attention."

Dani disappeared back through the door, phasing down into the living room next. The party was still going strong. People danced and cheered, while others munched down on popcorn and chips.

"Terrific," said Dani, searching the crowd from above. "We've got a renegade manifestation of a whole year running around Randy's house, and to top it all off, he's a lecherous pervert."

Dani didn't find the spirit of the old year, but she did come across Randy and Alice after a moment. Landing behind the two of them, she became corporeal, which caused Alice to squeak in surprise.

"Don't do that!" Alice commanded, giving Dani a rattled glare.

"I am never forgetting that you did that," Dani jeered, before she came to her senses. "Listen, the ghost that's upstairs says the old guy Alice and I saw is the spirit of this year."

Randy and Alice stared across at Dani.

"Say again?" pleaded a completely baffled Randy.

"The spirit of... this year?" Something dawned behind Alice's eyes. "Wait, you mean like those photos of a baby in a diaper with the year printed on a banner? That kind of old year?"

"Exactly," Dani confirmed, though she looked doubtful herself. "At least, I think. The kid is supposed to be the spirit of the coming year. When the old year dies tonight at midnight, the new year will officially begin."

"So, why are you telling us this?" Randy wondered. "I mean, was we s'posed to stop it somehow? Cuz, if that's how shit goes down normally–"

"I was trying to stop you guys," Dani explained. "If you ghost trapped the spirit of this year before it could die, who knows what could happen."

Alice didn't look convinced.

"Why would the spirit of the old year haunt this party?" she asked, her skepticism self-evident. "Why not go to downtown Manhattan or something? No offense, Randy."

"Wasn't my idea t' throw a party inna first place," he reminded, not bothered at all by the statement.

Alice got her answer when a girl out on the dance floor in the living room shrieked. Her skirt had blown up, giving the entire room a flash shot of the white panties she had on. Dani could see the gooseflesh on the girl's legs from across the room. It was like a freezing wind had manifested. The wind whipped through the sea of bodies, affecting any woman present who wasn't wearing pants.

"Because mini-skirts came back into fashion this holiday season," Dani spoke, shaking her head in disgust. "Even though it's the middle of winter and most places are too cold for them to be considered practical."

"Never discount the stupidity of the fashionista crowd," Alice uttered with contempt, watching the phantasmal scene unfold.

"Especially where seasonal wear is concerned," Dani concluded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "The Fashion Club would approve."

Dani winced, realizing that she'd just blurted out something very insensitive.

"Sorry," she apologized fast. "I didn't mean–"

"Not a problem," Alice disregarded, reaching for her Specter Phone. "But we've got to at least get gramps to calm down. Otherwise, his last minutes on Earth will be settling a sexual assaunt dispute."

"Ain't no way I want that goin' down in my house," said Randy, pulling his own Specter Phone up with the arm that wasn't broken. "Raquelle's make my ears bleed complainin' 'bout that."

Alice and Randy were just about to transform, only to have Dani stop them.

"Wait," she said, taking hold of both their arms. "How are we going to explain to all of Randy's house guests and his family about the ghost hunter brawl breaking out?"

Alice and Randy shared a mutual look.

"Suggestions?" Alice asked, lowering the hand carrying the phone.

"Lemme take care of it," Dani offered, grinning. "Just the first couple of minutes. I think this is a problem for the bouncer, and it should be handled outside."

Flying back into the air, Dani went invisible and circled the living room. Though the ghost was able to conceal itself well enough from her eyes, she could track the old geezer all the same. His movements were easy to predict. Once Dani had gotten a beat on him, she fired her ecto-ray, blasting him through and wall and out onto the front lawn.

"This bouncer stuff is a piece of cake," she decided, following after the old ghost. "Patrick Swayze, eat your heart out!"

The eidolic figure had become visible. Dani emerged from inside Randy's home, hovering above the snowy yard while the ghastly, decrepid gentleman rose to his feet. In one hand, he was carrying a cane. He was dressed wearing the same type of sweater vest and old-man pants Dani remembered seeing elderly guys having on at bus stops.

"Huh," the spirit of the old year said, once he'd gotten a good look at Dani. "You like to play rough, doncha, little girl?"

Dani's hand was covered with angry, glowing ectoplasmic power when she raised it.

"Call me a little girl again," she warned, threateningly, "and I'll do more than just put you out into the cold."

Behind her, the front door swung open. Two pairs of feet ran out into the snowy ground, their winter shoes crunching against the frigid surface. Randy and Alice joined the floating Dani, their Specter Phones at the ready.

"Specterize!" Alice shouted, giving the command call.

Dani tried her best not to groan as the ectoplasmic armor melted around Randy and Alice's bodies, forming the hardened black shell with green circuitry lines. As one, the two ghost hunters drew out their weapons and aimed. Randy's ecto-pistols aimed for the old year's head, while Alice raised her wrist blaster.

"Three on one, eh?" The elderly ghost looked put-out by this. "Well, that's hardly fair. What is it with you kids nowadays?"

"We're trying to keep you from groping our classmates," Alice explained, lowering her wrist blaster just enough so that it pointed at the elderly ghost's nether region. "It's bad enough when living jerks do that."

"We know you're the spirit of the old year," Dani explained, hoping to make peace before Alice grew angry enough to open fire. "The new spirit upstairs in Randy's house explained everything. You're welcome to stay so long as you behave yourself."

Dani realized she was imposing on Randy, and quickly threw in, "Oh, and long as it's okay with Randy and his parents, I guess. Sorry!"

Randy waved, not saying anything, but silently consenting with the terms.

"I'd just as soon he leave," Alice countered with, giving Randy an aside glance. "If it's all the same with you."

"I'll be good," the elderly spirit promised, raising up both hands in surrender. "This is sort of a tradition, you see. The party, I mean."

"I know," Dani revealed, floating down to the ground behind Randy and Alice. "You have to attend a new year's party. Just... try not to make our guests feel uncomfortable, okay?"

A twinkle appeared in the elderly ghost's eyes, and he grinned mischievously.

"Hey, it's my last night on this Earth," the old ghost said, giving his cane a practiced twirl. "You wouldn't deny a dying man's last request, would you? Especially if it was to get a peek at such ripe young goods."

Dani's answer was to raise a glowing palm at him again.

"Noted," the old man said, leaning onto his cane. "Keep my hands to myself at all times, and my eyeballs inside of their sockets."

"We accept your terms," Dani decided, nodding. "Feel free to come back inside whenever you're ready."

"Help yo'self to the junk food," Randy added, lowering his ecto-pistols.

The elderly ghost made a face.

"No thanks," he said, holding a hand up in protest. "That stuff's way too unhealthy for you. Take the advice of a wise old man and stay away from it while you're young. It'll ruin your waistline."

* * *

"You're a ghost, aren't you?"

They had finally stopped running after a couple of blocked. It didn't look like anyone from the restaurant was chasing them. All the same, Mynx had led Dexter down a dark alley that opened back out into a well-lit, but mostly deserted, city street. Several alley cats from the alley had followed them out, and were meowing pitifully around Mynx's feet.

"Not really," Mynx said as she knelt down to pet one of the hungry cats. "I'm sort of like these guys. Only, you could say 'more evolved'."

None of that made any sense whatsoever to Dexter, though he made an educated guess anyway.

"You're some kind of... 'ghost cat'?" he tried, not believing a word of what was coming out of his own mouth. "Like, a real ghost cat."

"Basically."

Mynx didn't seem upset by the skepticism in his voice. Getting to her feet, she dusted both of her hands off and looked around. The cats at her feet trailed after, still meowing. If Dexter had brought any food, he would have shared it with them by now. It would have been worth it to keep them from making those awful sounds.

"My kind are given nine lives at birth," she explained, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. "Each time we die, we lose a life. But each time we lose a life, our powers get stronger."

"Powers?" Dexter was still having trouble buying this, even though he was a ghost hunter by profession. "You mean like with the cash register."

"That's one of them," Mynx confirmed, holding her hand up in front of Dexter's face so he could see the mystical energies bouncing back and forth between her splayed fingers.

It was starting to come together for Dexter, however slowly. Mynx had stopped moving, coming to a halt by a parked car on the side of the street. Holding up a second hand, she twisted the energies back and forth between both sets of fingers, forming a cats-and-cradles.

"You make bad luck happen with that," he realized, looking from Mynx's hand to her face. "What else?"

"I can take human form," she said, moving the hand away to gesture at herself. "It's something we all learn to do eventually. There are lots of abilities my kind have. Some of them are a lot harder than others. What I did in the Chinese place was just a hat trick."

The alley cats had circled around Mynx, cornering Dexter as best they could. He could feel one rubbing up against the side of his leg. The cat kept making pleading eyes with him, as if it had just fallen in love. Reaching down, Dexter scooped the little beastie up into his arms.

"Why me, though?" he asked, giving the cat playful scratches behind the ears.

Mynx thought about what Dexter was asking her.

"You mean, why did I chose you?" The nod from Dexter made Mynx smile. "I guess... it's because you saved me."

Dexter frowned, clearly not having a clue as to what Mynx was talking about.

"In the alley a few nights ago," Mynx reminded him, staring as though it were obvious. "The guy fell off the roof and you caught me."

Dexter's mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape as he realized what she meant.

"I would have died if you hadn't caught me," she said, rubbing her hand over the back of the cat in Dexter's arms. "I'd have been reborn in a new body, stronger and more powerful, but with one less life than before. You were the one who bothered to caught me."

"And..." Dexter thought over what she'd said before. "...you THINK that's why you picked me?"

Mynx stuck her tongue out playfully at him. It was a very cat-like gesture.

"Why do cats do any of the things that they do?" she teased in response. "We're very mysterious creatures, you know."

Something howled in the distance, like a panther roaring in anger. Several of the cats around them scattered. Mynx jumped at the sound, but recovered quickly.

"Sorry," she said, going back to petting the cat in Dexter's arms. "Guess I'm a little jumpy. I thought I heard something."

"Same here," Dexter agreed, looking around over his shoulder. "It sounded almost like–"

The unearthly howl came again. Mynx appeared very worried, her hand hovering above the petulant cat in Dexter's arms, who waited for the rubs to continue with a scowl on his whiskered face. Mynx opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when her eyes met Dexter's.

"Never mind," she insisted, taking the cat out of Dexter's arms to set down on the sidewalk. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask about me?"

The sound roared down the street, bringing with it a howling wind that whipped across Dexter's face. Mynx's whole body went as still as stone. Her face drained of all color. It looked like she was about to have some kind of panic attack.

"Oh, gods. It's him."

Dexter looked up and down the street, from one end of the other, finding nothing.

"Who?" he asked, having a sudden bad feeling. "Not an ex-boyfriend, is it?"

The sound caused several street lamps to go dark. The one closest to the spot where Dexter and Mynx stood flickered, then went out altogether.

"No," she moaned, looking aghast. "It's my father!"

Something huge and covered in long, thick fur landed on the roof of the parked car near them. Dexter panicked and backed away, grabbing Mynx this time to drag her with him. The four-legged creature glared daggers at Dexter the whole time, its mouth turning up slightly in a hungry smile when Dexter's back touched the wall of the store behind him.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry," Mynx whimpered, holding both hands in front of herself pleadingly. "I just... I wanted to–"

The same howling as before emerged from the mouth of the monster of a feline, silencing his daughter. The creature had jagged black stripes coating the surface of its orange fur. Flames rose up from the top of the beast's paws and raced down the length of its tail. Long, saber-like fangs hung down out of its mouth. A tongue lapped away at the awful canines when the creature looked at Dexter.

"Leave him alone!" she shouted, though her meek demeanor returned almost immediately. "Please? I'll do whatever you want. Just don't–"

The creature's eyes began to glow. Mynx's entire body followed, coated in a sickly green light that flowed all the way down to her shoes. Dexter watched with growing horror as her body began to shrank. Tears appeared down Mynx's face, which grew more and more catlike by the second. A cry escaped her mouth, transforming into a pitiful meow of despair.

Before Dexter's very eyes, Mynx disappeared into a pile of her own clothes. From out of the rumple of mixed-up fabrics, a kitten crawled free. Its eyes lingered on Dexter momentarily, gazing sorrowfully at him. Then, the kitten turned to the giant of a cat crouched on the car, and it stepped forward.

"Oh, shit," Dexter moaned, looking grim. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

The giant cat beast leaped down off the roof of the vehicle. It's massive paws somehow landed lightly on the concrete. One paw was placed on top of the kitten, forcing it down into submission. Dexter watched as the fiery feline reached down to tenderly scoop the kitten up in his mouth. There was a flash of sulfuric smoke and something went off like an old camera bulb.

When Dexter could see again, they were both gone.

"Mynx," he whispered weakly, feeling crushed on the inside.

A single alley cat was resting on its hindquarters a couple of feet away. Dexter took notice of it, especially the way it looked pleased with itself. When the alley cat saw Dexter watching it, it began to clean itself.

"Tattletale," Dexter sniveled, stomping the sidewalk so that the cat scampered away.

* * *

The lasts of the guests were leaving the way they had come. Randy's mother had put her foot down at last, insisting the party-goers find somewhere else to ring the new year in at. The living room was a mess. Thankfully, his mother had left the clean-up to them, meaning she wasn't around to see the ghost of the old year hovering beside the couch.

"I guess that just about wraps things up for me," the elderly ghost said, counting down the last few seconds on the clock. "You were a gracious host, Randy, my boy. Thanks so much for your hospitality."

"Thank my mom," Randy said, though he was smiling as he shook the ghost's hand.

"Were it only that I could," the ghost replied sadly, giving his cane a spin. "But I'm afraid that my time upon this Earth has come to an end. Enjoy your youth while it lasts, young ones. It'll be over before any of you know it."

"We will," Dani assured him, coming up beside Randy as he gave a fist-pump with his broken arm.

Somewhere out of sight, an old grandfather clock chimed the hour. Each chime that sounded made the elderly ghost grow a little fainter. A pile of ash began forming underneath where he floated.

"Oh, right," the ghost said, his voice getting dimmer with each word. "There's one more thing I can do for you. Call it payment for all the fun."

Using his cane, the ghost tapped the surface of Randy's cast. The cast began glowing a bright blue, but what caught Dani's eyes were the script forming on the side opposite of the scrawl left by Nathan.

"Happy New Year," the ghost said, before vanishing completely.

The last of the ashes floated to the carpet.

"My mom's gonna be on me t' clean up after this guy." Randy chuckled, though, flexing his arm. "We'd best get started. Least I got two good arms t' work with this time 'round."

"You mean," Dani said, amazed as Randy moved his arm in front of her, "he healed your arm?"

Randy stopped moving his arm so Dani could read the script.

"'To Randy, from the Spirit of 2015,'" she read aloud.

"Guess that wraps things up for tonight, huh?"

"Almost," Dani said in response, reaching out to pull Randy into her. "There's still one more tiny matter to take care of."

At the front door, someone collided with the solid frame. It took a moment more for them to get the door knob to turn, thanks to their excitement. When Dexter flung the door open, he was greeted by the sight of Dani and Randy ringing in the new year together, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

"My life sucks," Dexter moaned, looking miserable.

"Congratulations."

Alice's voice sliced through Dexter's pity. The poor boy found himself confronted by the very angry girl, holding up a garbage bag in one hand.

"Let's give the lovebirds some time alone, shall we?" Alice's eyes narrowed in sadistic glee. "Much as I'm still on the fence about her, she still ranks higher than you do after the stunt you've pulled tonight."

Dexter looked from Alice, to the garbage bag she was holding out for him to take, to the living room covered in used napkins, soda cans, and overturned paper cups.

"Nice party," Alice went on, shoving the bag into Dexter's hands. "Next time you tell everyone that Randy's throwing a big New Year's bash, make sure he knows about it."

Dexter was pushed into the living room past the spot where Randy and Dani were kissing.

"Happy New Year," he muttered, bending down to scoop one of the crushed cups up in his hand.


	9. S1E9 -- This Used To Be My Playground

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

* * *

Episode 9 – This Used To Be My Playground

" _Friendship returns from beyond the grave!"_

* * *

Episode Guide: Tragedy has unforeseen consequences for the surviving members of the Fashion Club. Alice reconnects with old friends she thought she'd left behind for good.

* * *

Pamela Wells was not having the best day.

It had started when she failed a pop quiz in Spanish. The instructor had warned the class at the beginning of term to be prepared for one at any time. Pamela hadn't been listening very closely that day. She was distracted by the fact that their teacher wasn't a tall, impossibly-gorgeous latin man; the only reason she'd signed up for the damn course.

At lunch, while Pamela was on her way to claim her favorite spot at the mirror in the girls restroom–she generally skipped eating as a rule because food made her fat–someone splashed water from a fountain on her blouse. By the time Pamela had finished screaming at the jerk–he'd totally walked away from her while she was in mid-rant–the mirror was crowded.

The day culminated with her finding out from a semi-reliable source that Heather Chandler was the one who had spread the false rumor of her having an STD all over the school. This was an ultimate act of betrayal, and one that could not go unpunished. So, when the last bell for school rang, Pamela cornered Heather Chandler's almost-steady boyfriend in the hallway and asked him out.

At present, she was making out with Chad–what a name!–in the back seat of his car. During a brief pause so that Pamela could reapply chapstick and Chad could cool his heels some, she reasoned that the day hadn't been a total loss. The question was how to make sure her two-faced best friend found out about her dalliance.

"Right," Chad gasped, staring down at the front of his pants. "I think I'm okay now. Wanna go again?"

"Later," Pamela said, not really paying attention. "I'm trying to think."

"Oh." Chad looked disappointed for a moment. "Is that gonna take long?"

Pamela was spared from having to come up with a snappy retort worthy of it. The car lurched violently to the left, then to the right. The inside of the cabin rattled. Something scraped down the metal door of the trunk, like it was leaving claw marks. Pamela fell sideways into Chad's lap.

"Oh, fu–" The rest of the word was lodged into Chad's throat because of the pain. "That hurt!"

The world seemed to tip forward next. Pamela was thrown out of Chad's lap, crashing against the window hard. The taste of blood in her mouth was a momentary distraction from the fact that the car was tumbling head over heels. She and Chad collided several times. Gravity and direction became abstract concepts–even more than usual.

Pamela didn't know when she lost consciousness. Waking up was like being inside of a dream, having only the barest sense of what had happened to her. Chad was nowhere to be found. The inside of the car was trashed, and all the windows looked broken.

Pamela found she could move, at least a little. Turning her head, which sent pain shooting through her body like white-hot fire down her spine, she looked out the rear window. There was broken glass all over the place, but she could see out of it. A soft, green glow slimmed into the vehicle, providing Pamela with enough light to see. The light was strange, however; it looked like a bunch of threads stretching back and forth in crisscross formations.

"Wha–?"

It was cobwebs. The car was covered in cobwebs.

Pamela realized she was suspended in the air. The car had been tied up with glowing green spider's webs. Checking the other windows, it dawned on her that the car was hanging up by those green threads high in the air. The threads had been attached to several tree limbs.

"Chad?" Pamela called out, panic taking hold of her. "Chad, help!"

* * *

Alice rushed down the hallway.

Every day at Arkham High was the same. It was only the intermission break between second and third period, yet Alice felt like she was falling behind. She had a million things to do and no time at all to do every single one of them. Worse, there were dozens of mingling idiots standing out in the hallway blocking her path.

"Can't they just go to class like normal?" she spat, then let out an 'ooph' as one guy accidentally bumped her while walking backward.

"Screw you!" she called out when the asshole didn't even stop to apologize.

A hand landed on her shoulder, barely touching the clothing covering the skin, yet firm enough to more than make its presence known. Alice turned around, half-expecting it to be another teacher or the student counselor wanting to know if she was okay. Instead, she saw the school principal, staring like he'd just caught her doing something illicit.

"Miss Halsey-Wong," he said in his usual uneven, disapproving tone. "Is everything, ah... all right today?"

Principal Peaslee spoke as if he were going to be extremely upset to learn that things weren't running smoothly. It occurred to Alice how the man seemed to keep his mental state stable only through maintaining an iron grip on the students with a GPA of 3.5 and higher.

"I'm fine," she told Peaslee, not in a mood to share her life story with him, or anything less than that. "Some guy just walked into me. I had to get the last word in."

"Mind keeping it down, then?" Peaslee's mouth turned down into a scowl. "I realize none of your peers seem interested in continuing their education, but we can't have one of our most promising students–"

Alice began to tune the principal out. His voice went on droning in the back of her head, an echo of it reverberating faintly through each eardrum. The intent of it, however, was lost on her now. Alice pictured in her head what Peaslee might look like with his face melted off. The image was superbly disgusting, and something she'd never have indulged in last year. Now, though–

"–what with so many issues, and, ah... you not accepting the offer from Innsmouth Academy," Peaslee rambled on. "I do get that your friend, ah... died recently, Miss Halsey-Wong, but–"

–now, she began seeing him standing in the street as a school bus barreled down over his corpulent form.

"Is something funny, Miss Halsey-Wong?" Peaslee demanded, breaking her concentration.

"Just..." Alice grappled for an excuse. "...admiring your method of speaking, sir. It's unlike anyone else's around here."

Peaslee hadn't expected a compliment, much less an obvious one like that.

"I, ah... see."

Alice hoped that the lecture for the day was over. She was going to be late for her next class at the rate the principal was dragging his feet. For a man obsessed with student punctuality, she realized, he had a way of ensuring it carried on unnecessarily.

"Was there something else, Principal Peaslee?" Alice offered, wanting to get on with it.

"Gangway!"

Peaslee's mouth hadn't been given time to open. Someone was rolling down the tile corridor on a skateboard. Alice watched for a moment, befuddled by the fact that anyone would attempt such at thing outside of a cartoon. The skateboarder cut a turn to the delight of several cheering students, then rolled right behind the principal. Alice noticed the student–a sophomore from the looks of it–slapping a sign to the back of Principal Peaslee's shirt.

"Excuse me," Peaslee said, though he was already giving chase after the school speedster.

Alice felt a prick of gratitude for the guy on the skateboard, whoever he had been. It kept the principal off her case. Sadly, he had reminded her of something she would have just as soon let slip her mind. Unbeknownst to the student body at large, and to her closest friends, Alice was having regular meetings with the school guidance counselor.

It had not been her idea, of course. The school board decreed that anyone with a close connection to Heather McNamara must receive one-on-one sessions with the state selected student counselor until the end of February. Alice had wanted out from the start, but her parents were of no help. They thought it was a good idea for her to talk to someone, in case the shock of losing a childhood friend made her grades drop.

"Like Heather McNamara and I were friends after seventh grade," Alice grumbled to herself under her breath. "She and Angie sure as hell didn't seem to need me around once they started gal palling with Pamela Wells and–"

Alice realized where she was and slapped a hand over her mouth, silencing herself. For one thing, the fact that she was talking to herself didn't look like such a good sign. It was especially bad given that Alice was headed for the counselor's office. Because of her busy schedule, Alice was given special permission to rearrange her schedule. One of her classes was dropped altogether while another was changed so that she took it in the afternoon. Her mother and father weren't thrilled, but a daughter taking a make-up class over the summer was preferable to one having a complete psychotic breakdown.

"My little brother's piano lessons are more likely to cause that," she grumbled, aloud again, coming around a corner to the side corridor where the guidance counselor's office was.

A wooden bench was pressed up against the wall opposite to the door where the guidance counselor's office was. Alice had been coming there each day for her 'remedial therapy', as she was coming to think of it as. Students could wait there until their names were called. Angie Ellery sat hunched over slightly, looking at something on her phone. In all the times Alice had been coming, she and Angie hadn't seen one another a single time.

Angie noticed Alice and put her phone away. Wary, and unsure of what to say, Alice moved over to sit down at the other end of the bench. This put as much distance as possible between the two. Angie was no fool, and scooted across to the arm rest near her, widening the gap.

"No one told me you were coming here," said Angie, not looking Alice's way.

"I figured you were," Alice replied, straightening her blouse, then fidgeting with her book bag. "Though, I don't remember seeing you here before."

"New schedule." Angie reached into a binder laying in her lap and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Just got approved today. I'm supposed to go in after Pamela."

Alice frowned, thinking she must have heard wrong.

"I go in after Pamela," she said, forming her words like a protest. "I've been going in after Pamela since before winter break."

Alice expected Angie to start an argument. She remembered several arguments they had right before the two of them stopped being friends. Angie hadn't liked the extra-curriculars Alice's parents made her do. It kept them from spending time together, and with Heather. Angie had said so; in so many words, anyway. Instead, Angie frowned and turned away, like she was struck by Alice's rudeness.

"What?" Alice said, not quite yelling, but getting close. "I had to rearrange a part of my life because the school's forcing me to come here. Just one more thing I never have a say in. Why woul–"

"Hey!" Angie managed to cut Alice off with one word. "All I said was that they gave me a new schedule, and I'd be coming here at this time from now on. What's your problem?"

"My... problem? My problem?!"

Alice was livid and had no reason to be. The calmer, more rational part of her brain was flashing a warning in her face, letting her know she was headed for the 'deep end' that her parents feared she might go over. Anger poured up out of her soul, however, saturating her insides. Alice felt angrier than she remembered being, even when that Dani Phantom first showed up in Kingsport Falls making her look bad in front of the Professor.

"You might wanna keep it down," Angie warned, looking down the hall past Alice. "I'm pretty sure somebody can hear you way at the other end, and there are lots of classes between there and here."

Alice hadn't jumped to her feet when she started yelling. The thought struck her as odd, but she was glad for it. It meant she didn't have to lower herself slowly back into the bench. Since she was already sitting down, the only thing left was to take a few deep breaths.

"We haven't fought like that in a long time," Angie said in a softer, defended tone. "You used to get so angry whenever you knew something was wrong. Or when you knew you were wrong and didn't want to admit it."

Alice didn't like where this was headed much. She wasn't feeling the type of conversation they seemed to be headed toward. Nevertheless, when Angie remained quiet, she filled in the silence with her own words.

"I remember," she said, thinking back. "I've gotten better at hiding it since then. You always told me I should work on that."

"I said it would help when we took theater together," Angie recalled, smiling for a moment; one that quickly turned into a sad grimace. "Neither one of us ever did take theater."

"We were going to be the stars of Arkham High's drama department." The remeniscence had taken hold of Alice, bringing memories up to the surface of her mind like air bubbles. "Heather would work on the costumes."

"She stopped."

Angie clarified when Alice looked at her strangely.

"Heather," Angie explained. "She stopped working on costumes after we joined the Fashion Club. Heather Chandler and Pamela both said she didn't have enough talent to go far with it."

"Bitches," Alice remarked, surprised by her willingness to use the level of vulgar language usually reserved for the less-elloquent students.

Angie didn't voice any objections. Alice thought she saw her former friend give a small nod of agreement in response.

"Where is Pamela?" Alice pressed, her curiosity getting the better of her, but also preventing her from dwelling too much on the past. "Isn't she here?"

Angie's mouth pursed out with confusion, like she was a child blowing someone a kiss. Her eyes, however, darted off to the side.

"Why would Pamela be here?" Angie asked.

"Because," Alice replied, feeling like she was answering a very obvious question, "she's the president of the Fashion Club? Shouldn't she and Heather Chandler go to these meetings with you?"

Angie let out a derisive chuckle and looked away, shaking her head in disdain.

"Heather Chandler hasn't come to a single meeting," Angie explained, looking apologetic when she turned back and saw Alice staring. "Guess that shows how much Heather McNamara's friendship meant. As for Pamela, you mean..."

Angie's eyes widened then, like she had just realized something.

"...you don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Alice wondered, frowning. "Did Pamela wake up this morning with split ends and schedule an emergency trip to the spa?"

Angie wasn't terribly amused.

"She's in the hospital. They found her trapped inside her car. Somehow, it flipped over and ended up stuck in some tree branches."

Alice forgot all about whatever she was feeling regarding Angie or the Fashion Club and listened with rapt attention.

"You're not serious?" she pressed, hoping for further details.

"I'm perfectly serious," Angie declared flatly. "They say she was screaming and babbling on about some giant spider or some such. The police thought she was high on something, but I could have told them that the only foreign substance Pamela can handle in her body is diet soda."

"Or the fumes from nail polish," Alice muttered sarcastically. "Sorry, go on."

Angie snickered a little then.

"You're not wrong," she acknowledged. "But, the word is she was with Chad, Heather Chandler's boyfriend last night. The cops think he took off when the car wrecked."

Something troubled Alice, so she mentally rewound the conversation in her head.

"Wait, there was something before about..." Alice had to think for a second. "...a giant spider?"

Angie didn't look comfortable talking about that part. Her gaze left Alice to look at the guidance counselor's office for a moment, followed by down the hall to check that the coast was clear.

"I don't want anybody thinking Pamela's more crazy than usual," Angie explained, after verifying that she and Alice were alone for the moment. "She was upset yesterday because of a rumor about her having an STD. We think Heather Chandler had something to do with that."

Despite herself and the topic of conversation, Alice couldn't keep from laughing.

"Heather Chandler spread a rumor around school about Pamela having an STD?" Angie waited, scowling a little, while Alice went right on snickering. "Oh, that is precious. I can't believe my day started out so bad. Thanks for sharing that with me."

"You done yet?" Angie asked firmly, which was enough to calm Alice down.

"Sorry," Alice apologized. "Go on."

"Yeah, so..." Angie paused. "Pamela was babbling about a giant spider. I think she just hit her head real bad when the car flipped. She does have a concussion, amongst every other thing wrong with her right now, so who knows what she really saw."

Alice went quiet, her mind deep in thought. She was mostly certain that Pamela's accident was nothing more than bad driving resulting from boyhood stupidity. Chad didn't sound like the safest driver, even though Alice didn't know him personally.

Her ghost hunting instincts, borne from half a year of training, whispered in her ear that something was wrong, though.

It dawned on Alice then that something was indeed wrong. More specifically, there was something wrong that had nothing to do with Pamela's car accident. She and Angie were still sitting outside on the bench. Third period should have started before now.

"Um," she began, turning to the office door once again. "How long have you been waiting out here to see the counselor? You were here before me."

Angie immediately went for her phone.

"About twenty minutes," Angie answered, after taking her phone out of airplane mode–part of the school's manditory policy. "Way before you got here."

Alice stared at Angie, incredulous.

"She hasn't called you in? You haven't even seen her yet?"

Angie thought about what Alice seemed to be implying. Slowly, she looked at the office door. The fogged window set into the wooden panel was dark. Neither of them had paid much attention to that particular detail until now, but the office was dark. It didn't look like anyone was in there. Alice's ghost hunting instincts flared, practically screaming at her as she stood up.

"What's the big deal?" Angie was asking as Alice approached the door. "She's probably just out using the restroom or something. Forgot to put the 'Out' sign up."

"Maybe," Alice agreed, though she already knew in her heart this wasn't the case. "I hope so, at least."

The door wasn't locked. Alice gripped the knob for a moment, holding it and herself steady as she reached into her pocket. Phone in hand, she pushed the door inward.

The darkened room was a mess.

"Oh my god!" Alice let out, which brought Angie running.

"What?" Angie demanded, nudging Alice aside so she could see for herself.

The counselor's desk had been overturned. Several posters–mainly the ones about self-esteem–were ripped to shreds, hanging limply in tatters off the walls. A window near one of the chairs where Alice usually sat was broken. Something over there caught her eye. There was enough sunlight to reflect off what, in Alice's mind, seemed to be a piece of some kind of glowing silly string.

"No," she whispered, once she'd gotten close enough to see it for what it was. "It's spider's webbing."

"Spider's what?"

Angie trailed after in Alice's wake, stopping when she saw what Alice was referring to. The sticky piece of cobweb glowed a bright, sickly green color. It was positively luminescent, clinging to the tips of Alice's fingers when she touched it.

"Webbing," Alice repeated, looking out through the broken window at the school yard.

"Weird." Angie turned away from the broken window to examine the crime scene. "It looks like somebody broke in here and trashed the place. Did they kidnap–"

"Maybe," Alice said, cutting Angie off. "And maybe Pamela wasn't hallucinating because of a concussion after all."

* * *

"You think Pamela saw the ghost... of a spider?"

Alice had expected Dexter to be skeptical. To his credit, the long-haired neophyte ghost hunter wasn't so much disbelieving as he was mystified. Randy was the one who looked full-on agnostic on the subject.

"There's evidence of it, yes," she defended, standing firm while the Professor worked at a lab table behind her. "I brought a sample.

"And it is fascinating," an excited Wraitheon affirmed, peeking through the lenses of a microscope. "This ectoplasmic substance does appear to share properties with a spider's natural webbing."

Professor Wraitheon leaned back in her motorized wheelchair, still smiling ecstatically as she looked from one protege to the nex. "It's even degrading like one."

"Degrading?" Alice asked, alarmed.

"Meanin' it's fallin' apart?" Randy asked, wanting affirmation.

Professor Wraitheon's smile turned into a wry one. Chuckling to herself, she backed the chair away from the table and set it forward.

"A spider's web dissolves naturally over a short period of time," she explained, stopping her chair in front of the three. "It varies, but the result is the same. Always."

Swiveling the chair again, Professor Wraitheon moved over to a different table, selecting a tool for herself. Alice watched her movements, looking anxious the whole time, as Wraitheon maneuvered the chair over to where the primary sample rested inside a petri dish.

"A spider has to rebuild its web over and over," the Professor continued explaining, holding the dish up. "From this, I'd say our 'ghost spider' is no different."

Randy still wasn't convinced.

"An' how's a tiny little ol' spider gonna flip over a great big metal car, then lasso it up inna bunch 'a tree branches?"

"Maybe it's the ghost of a really big spider?" Dexter offered, shrugging meekly.

Randy rolled his eyes, but Alice looked appreciatively at him.

"It's too soon to tell," Wraitheon said absently, holding another small piece of the ectoplasmic cobweb sample up between a pair of tweezers. "We don't know what it is we're dealing with. Just that it may share properties with a spider. The evidence suggests that, but we'll need more."

Alice thought very fast.

"I have a ton of homework tonight," she admitted, unhappily. "If I run downstairs right now and get started, we could be finished in time for us to go out hunting tonight."

"I don't have any homework," Dexter revealed, looking quite pleased with himself. "None that's due tonight, at least."

Alice didn't appreciate being informed of this. Her glare silenced any further gloating out of his mouth. Randy, on the other hand, was a bit more subdued.

"I can manage," he said, though he did wear a smug smile briefly. "S' not so much I can' afford t' scribble in some ghost huntin'."

"I will be gracious for any assistant the three of you provide," the Professor said humbly, keeping her head down over the work table and out of sight. "As per usual."

Alice nervously pressed both hands together, rubbing them against each other. Her eyes fixed once more on her mentor. Professor Wraitheon didn't appear to have noticed her distress, so engrossed was the older woman in her own studies.

"There's one other thing," Alice began, speaking fast. "I'd like to bring Dani Phantom in on this with us."

Randy's eyes bulged. Dexter's jaw dropped. Professor Wraitheon actually raised up from her table and looked Alice directly in the face.

"Assuming she's okay with it," Alice added.

Dexter and Randy were both still silent. Neither of them looked like they believed what she had just said. Alice was looking back at the Professor, but her body rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, like she could feel their eyes on her.

"What's brought on this change of attitude?" the Professor asked cautiously.

"I just..." Alice fumbled. "I don't think... she's quite all that bad. Not anymore, at least, and she was a big help to me. To all of us, actually, at one point or another."

The Professor brought her chair back to stop in front of the three youths. Alice looked ready to start panicking. Randy was nonplussed, as always. Dexter still watched Alice, like her head might transform into a pod person at any second.

"I've hoped you might change your mind," Professor Wraitheon revealed, a great big grin of satisfaction spread across her face. "You see, I wanted the three of you to work with the half-ghost since the beginning. It was your feelings that made me not press the issue too frequently."

Alice blushed. "Oh."

"Ask her," Wraitheon advised, nodding. "If any of you have her number–and I'm sure all three of you do by this point–call and see if she can join you tonight. If not, perhaps later, permitted you all have a lighter workload."

* * *

"She wants me to do what?"

Dani was lying across her bed, sideways. The otherwise empty bedroom was quiet, save for the noise coming from downstairs. Wes had invited a few of his friends over, all of whom decided that they should break the brand new year in by playing Cannibal Go-Kart Holocaust 3: Skid Marx. She was giving her Aunt Caroline two more minutes before the crowd of rowdy middle schoolers had to turn it down.

"Come ghost huntin' wit' us," Randy explained, repeating himself. "Jus' for a little while tonight. See if we can' find out what's been scarin' underage motorists off th' road lately."

A horrible shriek came through the floor from down below in the living room. It sounded like one of Wes's friends had successfully scored points by decapitating the competiton.

"Ah, right," Dani said, glaring at the floor. "I heard about Pamela Wells' little accident. It might be fun going out tonight, but..."

"Can't?" Randy guessed.

"I've got a pile of homework that that I need to finish," she explained, raising up off the bed. "Plus, there's that test we're supposed to have on Friday. If I'm gonna pass, I need to do some seriously cramming so I'm caught up."

"You fell behind?" Randy sounded surprised. "Don' sound much like you, girl."

"I've been busy," Dani countered defensively. "There's all the ghost hunting I do on my own. Being a superhero's a pretty hectic extra-curricular. Then there's school, helping my aunt and uncle out at the museum. And I seem to remember that I picked up a boyfriend not so long ago."

Dani added the last part wearing a love-struck grin. The two of them hadn't been going out for very long. The kiss they'd shared at the New Year's party more or less cemented the attraction they'd both been feeling for one another since Dani moved to Kingsport Falls. It was only shortly before school started back, however, that she and Randy formalized it. Since then, neither had been free for more than a couple of dates.

"I 'member," Randy said, and it sounded as though he were blushing on the other end. "How's he been doin'? Treatin' you a'right?"

"Decent," Dani teased, lowering her voice a little. "There's room for improvement, though."

If Randy was offended, he didn't sound it. Rather, he seemed to take the remark as a challenge.

"Oh, and how's that?"

"He could be kissing me right now, for starters," Dani pointed out, laying back on the bed. "Did I mention I'm all alone in my room right now?"

Randy's breath started to come faster, loud enough that Dani could hear easily.

"TURN! IT DOWN!"

Dani jumped at the sound of her aunt yelling.

"Well, mostly alone," she amended, jerking her head around to look at the floor again. "Family's home tonight, and Wes has company over. Sounds like my aunt's finally got sick of the noise."

"Raquelle's over," Randy stated, as if that explained everything. "No way we'd see peace wit' here around."

Dani hadn't expected to be as disappointed as she was. The fact that she wouldn't see Randy until tomorrow weighed on her.

"I guess we'll just have to wait until tomorrow," she mused forlornly. "School's turning out to be the only time you and I can be alone."

"Not sure I like Arkham High turnin' into our love nest," Randy grumbled sourly. "We gotta make reservations somewhere else soon. Homework's no way to building a love life."

"I agree," said Dani, tickled privately by Randy's use of the world 'love'. "See you tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow," Randy confirmed, not sounding any happier. "Love you."

The words shocked Dani, but she spoke before her brain could make her think twice about it.

"I love you too," she said. "Night."

The line on Randy's end went silent after a moment more. Dani stared at the screen of her phone, holding it up in front of her face. She was still lying back on her bed, having not moved during the conversation. Bringing the phone down to rest on her chest, Dani looked up at the ceiling.

"Did I really just do that?" she asked herself. "And, did I really mean it?"

It bothered her; the idea that she could just blurt out words that significant without thinking about the consequences first. She was also worried by what Randy might assume as a result. Dani did not have a long list of successful relationships running behind her–or many relationships, period.

"I guess there's nothing to do but wait until Randy wants to talk." Sighing, she raised up off the bed. "Time for a shower, before the brats below use up all the hot water."

Dani was getting off her bed when a shadow passed by her window. The quick movement and brief lack of light got her attention, and in seconds, she was staring out the opened window pane. Down below, traffic and the general march of pedestrians carried on like nothing unusual had happened.

"So what was that, then?" she wondered, before her ghost sense went off. "Uh-oh!"

Dani turned her neck at an awkward angle, looking in the only direction there was left: up. At the edge of the townhouse rooftop, a dark figure cloaked in shadow crawled. Dani had enough time to register the eight spindly legs and a bulbous rear. The thing was moving fast, racing across the rooftop and onto the neighbors.

"I guess calling pest control isn't an option in this case," Dani thought to herself out loud. "Such a shame Aunt Caroline doesn't believe in using bug spray. Oh well."

Dani drew her upper body back in through the window. Taking a step backward, she held both arms out at her side, keeping her legs spread.

"Goin' Ghost!" she cried out, summoning her Dani Phantom alter ego.

Dani Phantom flashed into being, taking to the air so she could phase through the wall and fly directly upward. Hovering above the skyline, she studied the landscape through her glowing green eyes for a moment, catching sight of movement in a northeastern direction.

"Gotcha!"

Anyone looking up from the street below would have seen a wispy streak flying above the city rooftops. Dani Phantom circled around in an arc, keeping the creeping figure in her sights. The way it moved was slightly disconcerting. The thing's pace was incredible, yet it wobbled with each step, and there were odd appendages which stuck out on each side.

"Whatever," Dani dismissed, moving in for the capture. "Time to bag this bugger."

As Dani came into view, she noticed the figure was carrying something on its back. This didn't stop her from taking aim and firing with her ghost ray. The blast was powerful enough to knock the ghostly creature backward, sending it flying into a raised wall at the edge of the roof it stood on. Dani smiled, pleased with her work, but went stiff a moment later.

It appeared her attack had done little else besides stun the beast. Then, a few clouds shifted overhead, and moonlight poured down across the city. The light shined into the darkened corner where the creature sat, crouching and hissing Dani's way.

"Oh, my god," Dani hissed herself, looking on in shock.

The ghost was some kind of spider monster. The appendages Dani had spotted before were actually legs, each one as thin as twigs, yet sturdy enough somehow to heft up the massive abdomen. The spidery half looked like some kind of abomination of patchwork art. Colors that mismatched were slapped together, forming the surface. Dani could almost see the stitchings that fused the body together.

Swooping down for a closer look, Dani realized to her morbid curiousity that the legs were made of metal. They each brought to mind the idea of several fused sewing needles. The abdomen was actually a pin cushion. A great spool of thread was attached to the back there, and from it, a large egg sack stuck to one side.

The word part, however, was the human torso stretched out. It had human arms and a head, each sewn from different parts judging by the stitch marks. The face and head were the worst, though. Stringy blonde hair that looked tangled and knotted hung around the beast's face. A pair of mandibles wrapped around the lower jaw near the mouth. Three sets of eyes were spread out over the forehead.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Dani groaned.

She'd always hated spiders, and those monster movies about half-human spider creatures gave her the creeps, though she'd tried to hide it from her family for years.

"Stay away!" the creature hissed, raising up two of its needle-like metal legs. "It's not finished yet. Gonna find more! More parts!"

There was a moment where the moonlight cast down across the warped face. For an instant, Dani saw the ugliness of the additional features melt away. The hair became shorter and immaculately groomed. To her horror, she realized that she'd seen the face looking up at her several times before. It was during lunch while she sat with Randy and Dexter. It was between classes at Arkham High where they would pass each other in the halls. And occasionally, Dani had encountered her in the restroom, where the face would be preening in front of one of the mirrors.

They hadn't known one another well, or for hardly any time at all, but Dani recognized her all the same. It was Heather McNamara, dead only a couple of months, and now a ghost.

"Heather, is that you?" Dani asked, hoping she could be wrong just this once. "Can you understand me? It's me, Heather. We..."

Dani trailed off, forced to suspend her attemp at reaching out. The creature that had once been Heather McNamara shot a net of glowing green webbing into the air. Dani wove through the air out of its path, but the movement cost her. Heather turned her back to Dani, raised her abdomen up toward the sky, and let loose with a volley of smaller nets.

Dani couldn't dodge all of them. Within seconds, she found herself trapped, stuck to the surface of the rooftop with one of the web nets holding her down.

"Okay," Dani said, struggling. "There is something seriously wrong about that pose you're in, Heather."

The spider creature clicked on its needle legs across the roof, approaching Dani with a real sinister look in all eight of her eyes.

"Hungry," the spider said, licking a tongue that seemed to stretch before Dani's eyes until it could lap at the snapping mandibles around her mouth. "Need more! Stay away!"

"Heather," Dani tried, still struggling. "Listen to me! This isn't you. Something... must have happened to–"

The creature shrieked. The noise was like metal scraping together in a horrible car accident. Dani was pretty sure she could hear glass breaking as well. It hurt her ears, all the way down to her soul, to listen.

"Not... Heather," the spider monster wept angrily. "No... Heather no more."

Dani hated the sound in the creature's voice. Summoning her energy, she lit one palm and pushed it into the web net, burning through the material. The creature saw her, but rather than stop Dani, leaped over to the other side of the roof.

"No more Heather," she whispered mournfully. "Gone."

Dani strained against the webbing until it snapped. The net stuck to her body, costing her precious seconds. The creature watched her struggle with a mixed expression of hunger and sorrow.

"Cobweb," the beast said, before leaping down the side of the building.

"Sorry, Heather," Dani Phantom said, at last freeing herself from the sticky strings. "But you're not gonna get away that easily."

Dani found herself eating her words when she reached the spot where the monster had been. Cobweb was long gone, scurrying away in the distance, clutching the egg sac she'd woven in her arms now.

"Or, maybe you will get away that easily," Dani grumbled, taking off after her.

Heather–or Cobweb, as she seemed to be calling herself–was better at hiding than Dani had given the girl monster credit for. A sweep of the area proved fruitless. Dani made several more passes before at last giving up, at least for the night.

"The guys aren't going to like this," she mused sadly, after getting back to her room. "I wonder, what could've turned such a sweet girl like Heather into a ghost monster?"

* * *

"It was probably a lot of different things," Alice answered, before pushing a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.

It was lunchtime, and the Arkham High cafeteria was packed as always. Dani had joined Randy and the others at their usual table. Since the debacle at Innsmouth Academy, and following her kissing Randy at New Years, Dani found herself being included more and more in the group. It was still a gradual process, and she had been on pins and needles all morning about how to deliver the news.

Dani had been especially worried about what way Alice would react. As Alice idly picked over her tray, the ghost girl felt like she might be missing something obvious.

"It's been years since we really spoke to each other," Alice went on, after swallowing her food, "but I don't remember Heather having the happiest childhood."

"Really," Dani said, unsure of what else to do in order to fill the immediate quiet.

"I hear Pamela teased her a lot," Dexter tossed out, trying to be helpful. "Heather, the other Heather. The one with the dark hair? She picked on Heather–this Heather..."

Dexter became flummoxed. "This is confusing," he griped, looking away. "Can we assign them numbers? Who thought naming two girls who hang out with each other 'Heather' was a good idea, anyway?"

"You could call her 'Cobweb'," Dani offered uncomfortably. "That's what she called herself last night when we tussled on the rooftop."

Randy looked less than enthused by that concept.

"You sure you're okay, girl?" he asked, speaking to Alice, who had gone stoic again. "I mean, you takin' all this pretty well, considerin'."

"Considering what?" Alice demanded, gripping her spoon tightly. "That people keep telling me I should be upset? Heather wasn't a friend of mine. Not for a long time, so why make such a big deal out of it?"

Alice's voice kept getting louder and louder. Several people at surrounding tables turned to stare, some of them wearing worried looks.

"So, Heather was unhappy," Dani stated, once Alice had calmed down, hoping to switch gears a little for the time being. "And, you think that's why she's turned... out like she is?"

Alice dropped her spoon onto the tray. An irritated look crossed her face as she stared at Dani, almost in a challenging way like she once did when they first met.

"You should know this already," evinced Alice. "Professor Wraitheon explained it to all of us when we..."

Alice's voice lowered. "...when we first went to work for her."

"She did?" Dexter asked, looking from Alice over to Randy on the other side of Danielle. "Do you remember any of that?"

"Some," Randy admitted, nodding. "Didn' get much what she meant, tho."

Alice groaned, pressing a hand into her face.

"We'll go over this again," she mumbled through her palm, shooting a nasty look at Randy and Dexter through splayed fingers. "Sorry if this is a repeat for you, Dani. I'll try to be brief."

Randy and Dexter each sat straight in their chairs, giving Alice their attention. Dani figured the two had been trained by now to do this. It looked like a habit. Rather than being jealous, though, Dani wondered if she ought to recommend Alice as a workshop instructor for teachers who needed help holding a classroom's attention.

There was probably money in that somewhere, and she made a mental note to check later on.

"A ghost is created through specific circumstances," Alice went on, after lowering her hand so she could speak clearly. "Usually traumatic, or through extreme emotional situations. When a person dies, sometimes their spirit leaves behind an imprint of them, like an echo or a thumbprint on glass. These apparations are temporary, and usually fade pretty quickly."

"Right," Dani added, figuring she should chime in. "But some imprints are strong, lasting longer. Sometimes for decades."

"Yeah," Alice went on, giving Dani a brief nod of appreciation for her participation. "And there are some points where an event is too traumatic to process. That, or the emotions generated are so strong that they act like an anchor, tying a person's soul to this plane."

Randy and Dexter each nodded at the proper intervals. If they weren't paying attention, they at least knew when to give the false impression that they were. Dani wondered if the two just had a difficult time constantly retaining such abstract concepts. This wasn't exactly on the school curriculum, after all.

"And when that happens," Dani concluded, "they take the shape of something connected to them. Their form may become warped over time, or manifest in peculiar ways, but ways that are still linked to them somehow."

"Heather didn't have a spider motiff," Alice said thoughtfully, picking up her spoon again. "Not that I recall, anyway. But who knows? She did love making costumes for people."

"What was she doin' on th' rooftops, tho?" Randy wondered, frowning thoughtfully.

"No idea," Dani said at once. "Running away, it looked like. And that was before I chased her down and attacked her. Or I knew who she was."

"Did she say anything?" Dexter asked, before a light went on in his head. "Say, do you think Heather's been to the Ghost Zone? You think that's how she ended up..."

Dexter paused, glancing at Alice briefly. "...like she is now?"

The questions caught Dani off her guard.

"She said something about needing 'more'," Dani answered, marvelling a little at Dexter's curiosity. "That she didn't have enough, or something. I... have no idea whether she went into the Ghost Zone, though."

"She'd have needed a portal for that," Alice reminded around a mouthful of school meatloaf. "The Professor still hasn't gotten one put together yet."

"But, could it happen?" Dexter pressed. "Could she have gone there and come back?"

Dani was saved from having to answer Dexter's inquiries. Someone cleared their throat loud enough to be heard over the echoing din of conversations surrounding them. Alice turned around while Dexter, Dani, and Randy all looked past her. Angie Ellery was standing a foot or so away from Alice's chair, looking a little nervous.

"Angie?" Alice asked, like she couldn't believe her former friend would even speak to her.

"Look," Angie blurted out, speaking very fast so that Alice wouldn't have time to interrupt. "I know we're not really on the best of terms right now... or ever, but I figured you might wanna know."

Alice waited, and when Angie didn't continue, waved a hand to signal the girl to do so.

The police say Chad's gone missing," Angie dropped, waiting for Alice to show surprise, which didn't come. "They think he wrecked Pamela's car and took off. There's a warrant for his arrest out now."

"Um, thanks?" Alice said. "I guess?"

"There's more," Angie added when Alice started to turn back around in her seat. "I overheard my Mom talking on her cell phone to the school secretary. Since the guidance counselor disappeared, there's been a couple of students who've gone missing."

Angie looked like she really wanted to sit down. Dani took pity on her and motioned her forward, a gesture Angie looked appreciative of. When she claimed the seat next to Alice, however, Alice frowned.

"Guys," Angie went on, looking around to make sure no one else was listening in. "I know I sound crazy, but..."

Angie paused, staring at a spot on the table as she swallowed down her fear.

"All the guys who've disappeared were on a list."

"Which list?" Dani asked.

"Dean's list?" Dexter offered.

"Detention list?" Randy guessed.

"The Fashion Club's list," Angie revealed, which was greeted by silence. "Pamela and Heather Chandler kept a compilation of all the guys who they felt were the most dateable."

"Someone's kidnapping the Fashion Club's A-list of hot guys," Alice mused. "I think we all owe whoever's doing it a free soda."

"Yes!" Dexter declared, raising both arms up in triumph. "I'm finally moving up in the world. You think Pamela will feel up to going out with me once she gets outta the hospital?"

"Focus, Dexter," Dani reminded, while Angie looked repulsed.

"Look, I think somebody has a grudge they wanna settle," Angie went on, looking hopefully from Alice to Dani. "And somehow, it's tied in with Heather McNamara. First Pamela goes down. Everybody who knew them heard about how Pamela treated Heather badly. Then the counselor gets jumped inside her office, and now all the guys that Heather wanted to date are disappearing like–"

Angie fumbled for the right word.

"Flies?" Dexter tried.

"That's when they've 'dropped'," Alice reminded.

"Sunspots?" Randy gave, which got him a look. "Best I could think of under pressure."

"Why the school counselor, though?" Dani asked. "That's the thing I'm having trouble fitting in."

"Heather went to the school counselor every day," Alice said before Angie could. "Doctor's orders. Something about neurosis or something."

Alice noticed the look Angie was giving her and shrugged.

"Word gets around," she said ambivalently. "And Heather always acted like she was two steps from a complete break, especially when you joined the Fashion Club."

Angie scowled, but didn't respond.

"Did Heather have some kind of beef with the counselor?" Dani asked abruptly, cutting in, and speaking to Angie directly.

"None that I know of," Angie said, shrugging in nearly the same way Alice had. "Though, Heather did say once that she didn't think the counselor listened much to what she told her. Guess it hurt not being taken seriously."

A sad countenance fell over Angie. Nobody said a word, fearful of breaking the mood, however tragic it was. At last, Angie sighed and backed her chair up. Nobody made a move to stop her, but she lingerer for moment anyway.

"And for the record," Angie said to Alice, "Heather was the one who wanted to join the Fashion Club. I only went with her to keep an eye out for her. With Pamela in traction bars, I guess this means there won't be a Fashion Club for a while."

When Angie stood, Alice was looking at her, shocked.

"So," Angie finished with great finality, "looks like you got your wish after all."

Dani wasn't quite sure what Angie had meant, but it didn't matter. Alice appeared shaken, like those words had drilled right through her. To her surprise, Dani saw tears well up in Alice's eyes.

"Excuse me," Alice whispered, jumping up out of her chair and running for the cafeteria doors.

Dexter was the one who spoke first.

"What just happened?" he asked. "Did we just miss something?"

"I... don't know," Dani admitted, more confused than ever. "I think so, though."

* * *

"You certain this is gonna work?

Alice grit her teeth together. In the background, over the comm link in their Specter Detector helmets, she could hear Dexter fumble with something.

"Or that we're even in the right place?" he continued, ignorant of Alice's ire. "I mean–"

"I asked Angie for the list of guys that the Fashion Club considered 'Arkham's Most Eligible Bachelors'," Dani explained, cutting in over the bluetooth she wore to keep Dexter occupied. "She believed me when I told her I was giving it to you so you could turn it over to Principal Peaslee."

Randy snickered.

"Sorry, babe," he said through the comm. "Ain't nobody gonna buy th' Principal Peaslee did sumthin'. Even t' keep th' school from lookin' bad."

"Hey," Dexter protested, offended. "I'm ASB president now. Show some respect, huh? I've got connections now."

"And anyway," Dani added, more for Randy's benefit. "I didn't actually give Peaslee a copy."

"Good on you," said Alice dryly. "Any signs of trouble, guys?"

The four of them were staking out the neighborhoods where the highest numbers on the Fashion Club's list–the elite of the elite–lived. A few guys shared residential zones. It seemed that those with money, fashion, and good looks flocked together. This made it much easier for Dani and the Specter Detectors to stalk their homes for signs of trouble.

"Nothing on my end," Dani reported back at once.

"Mine neither," said Randy.

"Or mine," Alice verified, looking around the high dollar houses with the night vision mode built into her helmet visor. "Dexter, how about you?"

Dexter's line was silent.

"You, Hoss?" Randy signaled, sounding worried. "You online wit' us? Sound off, man."

There came static, followed by Dexter's slightly squeaking voice.

"My bad," Dexter replied fast. "I accidentally turned the comm link off by mistake when I pushed the wrong–"

Something crashed on the other end of the comm link, rendering Dexter inaudible. Rather than be relieved, though, his friends all listened. There came static, and something that might have been a dog barking.

"Dammit!" Dexter swore. "A neighbor's dog spotted me, then knocked over a bunch of trash cans. I gotta change positions before the local security shows up."

"Rich white people for ya," Randy noted, while Dexter continued to swear and gripe. "Why call th' cops when you can hire your own?"

"Could someone get Dexter to turn the volume on his mic down?" Alice asked, growing more frustrated by the second. "If I talk to him, everyone's ears will bleed."

"Yo, Hoss," Randy picked up, taking the initiative for Alice's sake. "Dial it back a lil' bit. You're blowin' our eardrums outta our heads here."

If possible, even more noise–louder than before–came through. Alice winced while Randy shut his speakers off in his location briefly.

"Damn," Randy said, once he'd switched his speakers back on, but to a lower setting. "You gotta weird definition 'a 'dial it back', boy."

"Still nothing here, guys," Dani reported, doing swoops back and forth above her region. "I'm doing laps around the block, but so far, it's quiet."

Dani paused. "Okay, not quiet. But there's been no sign of Heat–of Cobweb."

"Keep looking," Alice replied back with, stiffly. Unable to fly herself, she was resorting to moving back and forth down a well-lit but mostly deserted street in a flanking position.

"Jus' me 'n the birds inna trees," Randy said, who was indeed perched atop a tree branch, giving him a nice view of his own territory.

Alice realized that Dexter had gone quiet. She figured it was best to not signal him until he'd found another location. With all the noise, it was a miracle security or the police hadn't caught him.

Or–

"Guys," she called out over the comm. "Come in! Everybody there?"

"Here," said Dani, followed by Randy's, "Here."

There was no word from Dexter.

"Shit," Alice swore, a rarity for her. "Guys, I think we've lost Dexter."

Neither Dani nor Randy spoke at first.

"I could fly over there real fast," Dani offered. "It won't take me long."

"Assumin' our spider woman ain't lurking your way, girl, lookin' for a chance t' strike," Randy pointed out. "Could be a trap."

"Could be nothing," Alice admitted, though she didn't sound convinced to herself. "Dexter may have shut his comm link off so he could relocate. I did–"

Dexter's comm link came back on, then.

"Help!" he was screaming, suddenly. "Guys, help me! She's here!"

That settled the matter to Dani.

"I'm going!" she yelled, taking off through the air from her block down eastward to the upper-crust housing community where Dexter had taken up.

"On my way," Randy called out, and Alice could hear his footsteps. "Wait for me, girl. I be right wit'cha!"

"Stay together once you're there," Alice ordered, breaking into a run up the street, bringing up a map on the screen of her visor as she raced past a toddler on a tricycle, who barely gave notice of her.

Alice was breathing hard by the time she got to the right housing community. Her lungs felt like they were ready to burst. To her amazement, the others were just getting there.

"We found him," Dani explained. "She's already gone, but we were waiting–"

Alice held up a hand to signal Dani to wait a moment. Leaning forward, she rested both hands on her knees and heaved.

"Scooters," she gasped out. "We need... scooters for these types... of missions."

Randy and Dani let Alice catch her breath before leading her down a side alley. Two of the houses were divided from each other by separate fences that formed a narrow back street. Halfway down, Alice could make out Dexter hanging awkwardly between the two fences with her night vision. His body had been trapped in a sticky green webbing, the same kind from the counselor's office.

"She... ah," Dexter stammered when he saw Alice. "She got the drop on me?"

"Which one did she take?" Alice asked, foregoing a lecture for the moment.

Dexter let out a 'whew' of relief once he realized Alice wasn't going to scold him.

"Uhh, that way," Dexter directed, pointing down the back street in the opposite direction. "Two houses over. She left with the poor guy tied up in some kind of sac."

"Like what a spider uses to trap food in," Alice figured, looking repulsed underneath her helmet. "What are we supposed to do now, though?"

Dani was looking at Alice curiously.

"You might know," she said, a thread of caution in her voice. "Alice, you used to be friends with Heather, before she–"

"That was years ago!"

Alice hadn't meant to yell. The words just exploded from her mouth. She realized with a jolt that she'd become very, very angry in the blink of an eye.

"People keep reminding me of that," she went on, trying to force her emotions back down into the tight bottle she kept them locked in. "Sorry, though. I didn't mean to yell."

"You always yell at me," Dexter reminded.

"Even still," Dani said firmly, ignoring Dexter for now. "You remember Heather better than we do. You knew her in a way we didn't. So think about that. Where is a place that Heather might go to where she'd feel safe?"

"Uh, her parents' house?" Dexter tried, as Randy began cutting him free of the webbing.

Alice snorted derisively.

"Not in this life," she said, looking away. "The only time I ever saw Heather happy was when she was with Angie and myself. We used to go places so she could get out of her parents' house for a while. It was–"

Alice went quiet without warning.

"You thought 'a sumthin'?" Randy asked, pulling Dexter free.

"I..." Alice stammered. "I don't know, honestly. But... there's a chance...!"

"Explain later," Dani said, leaping into the air. "Just get us there, now!"

"How're we gettin' there?" Randy asked, stopping Dani before she flew away. "These suits ain't exactly lightweight, ya know."

"The Professor's been working out that issue," Alice mumbled, collecting herself. "But, never mind! Yes, we need to get there fast."

Dani landed back down on the ground in front of them, scratching the top of her head where the stripe in her bangs would normally be. The white folds of her hair fell around her face as Dani's eyes lit up.

"I've got an idea," she said, pointing to the cell phones on their belts. "Go intangible. That'll lighten the load. I should be able to carry all three of you that way. We can fly there, then."

Alice brought up her intangible mode first, hitting the code to make herself transluscent. Randy and Dexter followed suit, though Dexter entered the wrong code in first and accidentally made himself invisible.

"Sorry," he apologized, getting it right on his second try. "Okay, all set. Phantom airlines is now ready for boarding."

"Take your seats," Dani instructed playfully while her three friends grabbed hold of her body on all sides. "And remember to fasten your safety belts."

With that, the foursome rose up high above the lines of houses in suburbian, taking to the sky and racing off per Alice's instructions.

"Any in-flight movie on this rig?" Dexter asked.

"Straight ahead," Alice told Dani, pointing. "Then turn left. There should be a small park with a playground not far afterward. The three of us–Angie, Heather, and I, I mean–we used to go there after school sometime."

"How's she gonna hide out inna open?" Randy wondered while the ground raced by below their feet.

"There's a hiding spot in an old sewer pipe," Alice explained, as they came in close. "That was our secret clubhouse. If Heather remembers anything of her old self, she'll be hiding in there."

"Dark and solitary," Dexter said sagely, as Dani lowered the four of them to the ground. "Just the way spider's like it."

Dani looked around gravely as their feet touched the soggy dead winter grass. "Let's hope she remembers more than just that from when you were friends, Alice."

Alice was too busy checking the settings on her wrist blaster to give much of a reply. She had already switched off her intangible mode.

"Mm," was the only thing Dani heard coming out of her mouth.

Wind cut through the playground area of the park, stirring the naked branches in the trees around them. Their icy tendrils scraped against each other, giving Dani the chills. The noise was like something sharp raking against dry bone.

The park area didn't appear to be under the best of care. There was garbage strewn around overflowing trash bins. A restroom area nearby had graffiti scrawled on one side. A park bench placed haphazardly under a large oak tree was tilted slightly because of a broke leg. The only saving grace was the playground area. The equipment looked old and rusted, yet the swing seats hadn't been stolen or vandalized. It was a barren, forgotten place, but one that still seemed to have value for the people in the area.

"Are we going?" Alice asked impatiently, snapping Dani out of her contemplation.

"Yes, we're going," Dani said, hovering several feet above the ground. "You know the way to this sewer pipe area, so lead on."

The sewer pipe was located on a slope just past the playground. The treeline began just past it, meaning there wasn't much room to maneuver.

"This was our place," Dani thought she heard Alice mumble. "I haven't been here in–"

"Hold up," Randy warned, making a fist in the air with one palm. "I hear sumthin'."

Dani could hear it too, and judging by how Alice and Dexter slowed their steps, they were picking it up also.

"Sounds like a woman crying," Dexter said, listening hard.

"It could be Heather!"

Alice's exclamation was immediately accompanied by her bolting forward into a sprint. The slope was just ahead, but she didn't bother slowing her pace. Alice leaped and slid down the earthy angle while the others stood at watched. Dani was so in shock that she didn't think to say anything until Alice was out of sight.

"Alice, stop!" she cried, flying after her, with Dexter and Randy close behind. "It could also be a trap!"

Dani reached the mouth of the sewer pipe in less than a second. Alice was already there, standing guard with her wrist blaster aimed tentatively at something. The crying sound grew louder as Dani touched down. Sitting in the mouth of the pipe was a woman Dani didn't recognize, though her ghost sense triggering gave away what the older woman was. Alice seemed to know her, however, because she lowered her wrist blaster.

"It's Mrs. Kellanger," Alice explained, while Dexter and Randy worked their way down the slope. "It looks like Heather was thorough."

Dani knew what Alice meant. The ghost of Mrs. Kellenger was riddled with pierce wounds. Deep holes made by objects that were sharp and pointed–most likely Heather's new spidery legs–covered her torso, stomach, and legs.

"Mrs. Kellenger?" Dani tried, approaching the spirit.

Mrs. Kellenger jerked her head up at the sound of Dani's voice. Her eyes were wide with fear and horror, but the most terrifying thing was a confused shock. Dani felt her heart sink, realizing that the woman didn't know she was dead yet.

"Oh, thank–" Whatever else Mrs. Kellenger planned to say drowned in a choke. "I'm sorry! This is such a mess. I have no idea how I got here, and–"

"Mrs. Kellenger." Alice interrupted, her voice thick and full of emotion, yet with an edge of steel resolve as well. "...forgive me, but..."

The resolve broke. Dani placed a gentle, reassuring hand on Alice's arm before stepping forward to assume the duty herself.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kellenger," she spoke, full of grief at the woman's own loss. "But, you've died. This is your ghost speaking to me. You were... dead."

Dani couldn't bear to give the woman the details of her demise. There was a possibility that remembering would cause her mind to snap. They still had Heather to find after this, something she worried the others would have more issues with now than before.

Mrs. Kellenger, meanwhile, had gone slack in the face. Her eyes were widening with horror as the memory of her death came back, long and strong. Tears, small dots of ectoplasm, rolled down each side of her face.

"Oh, no..." the woman whimpered, shaking now. "No... no! No! No! No!"

A wail escaped her mouth, and the wind that followed sent twigs snapping from branches. The broken pieces fell around them while the ghost broke down before the for teens.

"Mrs. Kellenger," Dani pleaded, while Dexter and Randy raised their weapons. "Stop! Please, you have to calm–"

Alice was raising her Polter-Vac. The machine blasted what was left of Mrs. Kellenger's spirit, sucking it up inside the containment unit. Alice's hands shook as she put the machine away at the slot on her hip.

"Let's go," she mumbled, hesitating only a moment before stepping toward the pipe.

After a moment more, Dani nodded and followed suit, casting light by powering one hand with ectoplasmic energy. Dexter came next while Randy brought up the rear, walking backward to watch from behind. The pipe went on for a ways, showing no indication of ending, or veering off to the left or right.

"How long... does this go on for?" Dani asked quietly.

Alice looked back at Dani before answering.

"I don't remember," she admitted, shrugging. "It was.. a while back."

The ground inside the pipe was becoming uneven. Dani stumbled over something that might have been a rock, hurting her toe and making her long for the space to fly. She could have phased through the pipe itself, but without a means of seeing where she was going, there would have been nothing to do but head up. The pipe kept right on stretching out in front of them, growing darker by the second.

"Um, guys?" Dexter called out. "I don't think we're in a pipe anymore."

Dani stopped to look behind her. Dexter was brushing one hand up and down over the surface of one side of the pipe. In the low light, she didn't notice the bits crumbling off the side. Dexter rubbed his fingers together before looking around at Dani and Randy.

"This looks more like a cave to me," Dexter said, almost choking on his words.

"This can't be a cave." Alice was several steps ahead of them, but had turned around at last when it became clear Dani had stopped. "The pipe only goes in for a few feet. We should have–"

"–shoulda reached th' end by now," Randy finished, his tone a grave certainty. "Unless Heather dug deeper."

Randy's theory proved correct a moment later. The four came to a gap somewhat akin to a tiny cave. It looked as though Heather had dug this portion up as a break point during her escavation. Up ahead, more of the green light, similar to the one coming from Dani's palm, shined bright. The group followed in silence, coming to a much larger underground cavern a moment later.

"Step into my parlor," Dexter quoted, looking around from the entrance that had been made wide enough for all four of them to stand side by side. "Said the spider to the flies."

The space was filled with junk. It looked as though Heather had gone dumpster diving following her death and transformation. The cavern was covered with sticky glowing webs, some of which hung down like draperies or tapestries. There were mannequins everywhere and stacks of tattered rags. It was like a junk store, or an old sewing store, but after a horde of angry spiders spun cobwebs everywhere.

"She's been busy," Alice noticed grimly.

Dani moved, and found herself caught by one arm in some webbing that was hanging down by the side of the cave.

"Crap," she groaned. "Looks like this stuff can affect me whether I'm human or ghost."

"Why is this room lit up so?" Dexter wondered, taking a tentative step forward. "Is there a light source down here?"

Randy grabbed Dexter by the arm, stopping him.

"Hold up, Hoss," he said quietly. "I don' think we're alone here."

A scream came from all about them, echoing off the walls and confirming Randy's suspicions. Each of the Specter Detectors raises their weapons, looking in all directions for a sign of the threat.

"I'd say that's likely," Dexter retorted, keeping his ecto-katana up. "Any ideas?"

"We stick together," Alice insisted, her voice cracking.

"Also likely, at this point," Dexter went on. "Anything else? Like, maybe how we're all gonna deal with this before we go home and have a nice hot shower?"

"I could use one of those myself," Dani mumbled, before she spotted something off to the side amidst the green webbing. "Over there!"

Forgetting about sticking together, Dani flew down low along the ground, weaving around web-coated obstacles. The area where she'd seen movement before had gone still. Dani landed in front of the curtain of glowing cobwebs, holding both hands up at the ready.

"Stay where you are and come out slowly," she warned, lighting up each palm. "I don't wanna hurt you, but it can be arranged."

The Specter Detecters were running down the slope into the cavern. Randy had taken the lead, and was the first to join her.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

"What part of 'stay together' was I unclear on?" Alice barked, her eyes livid behind the helmet she wore. "We don't know what all is down here."

"Help me...!"

The voice was rough, gravelly; but it came loud enough for each one of them to hear. Dani hesitated, then fired a blast, cutting through the webs.

"Stay on guard," Dani instructed, which everyone complied with.

Measuring the strength of her blasts, it took a moment to slice through the thick cluster of strands. After a minute or so, however, Dani saw the curtain part. Behind it, a young boy she didn't recognize staggered, nearly falling into her line of fire. Dani killed the blast and moved forward, catching the boy before he could fall.

"I think we found one of the Fashion Club's A-listers," Dexter said. "Looks like he's been down here a little while."

"Musta been one 'a the first Heather took," Randy considered, lowering his weapon to help Dani.

"So where is she, then?" Alice asked impatiently, looking around.

"Heerrreeee!"

Heather–in her Cobweb form–dropped down from the ceiling. Alice heard her former friend's cry, but didn't spot her until it was too late. Heather swatted Alice away, turning instead to where Dani and Randy were crouched down over the unconscious boy.

"Mine!" Heather howled, her jaw stretching open in an unnatural way. "He belongs... to me!"

Dani was prepared for Heather's strike. Holding her arms up again, she formed a shield around herself, bocking the attack from the spider creature's sharp attacks. Heather hissed in frustration when the tips of her legs bounced off the force field.

"Take this guy and get him outta here," Dani instructed coolly, speaking to Randy. "I can hold her off until you get back."

"I ain't goin' no where," Randy began, getting up with an ecto-pistol in each hand. "You can'–"

"Just go!" Dani ordered.

Dexter, meanwhile, had moved around behind Heather. Using his ecto-katana, he swung at one leg; then another. The blade clashed against the metal appendage, but it appeared to get Heather's attention, at least. Dexter was forced to execute a series of clumsy gymnastics to keep from being speared. Randy was raising up with the injured teen's arm slung around his shoulder when he saw.

"He's getting' there," Randy noted, giving Dexter a nod of approval. "Hoss's got some new moves in 'em."

Dani, meanwhile, had dropped the shield the moment Heather focused her attacks on Dexter. With the spider queen distracted, Dani flew around low to the ground in a circle, searching for Alice. She found the ghost hunter near several cocoons hanging in midair from the webbed jalousie in a far corner against the cavern wall.

"You okay?" Dani asked to a dazed Alice.

"I've been better," Alice replied, who was struggling to get to her feet on her own. "And I think I've found the rest of those missing boys Heather abducted."

Dani looked past Alice, noticing how one cocoon was hanging open partially. It looked like something had blasted the cocoon. A mummified corpse hung out, its arm–dried out like a raisin–clutching limp and lifelessly at the glowing fabric that contained it.

"My wrist blaster went off when I landed," Alice explained, turning to look up at the corpse. "Heather must've been on a binge after–"

Alice never finished her sentence. Dani heard a sound from inside the helmet, like her friend was trying to choke back the need to be violently sick.

"Forget I said that," Alice mumbled weakly, turning away. "See if any of the others are still alive, will you? I'm gonna go... help the others."

Dani waited until Alice was safely away before opening up any more of the cocoons. The webbing that surrounded each body fell away easily with a powerful enough shot from her ghost ray. The blasts uncovered one dried corpse after another. Heather–or rather, Cobweb, as she preferred to be called now, had sucked each boy dry of his vital nutrients. It was exactly what a spider would have done, and Heather had a big appetite now to go with her much larger ghostly body.

"I miss the days when girls our age just wanted to be skinny," she mumbled, feeling nauseuous herself. "Normally, that'd make me hate myself, but I think I'll declare an exception here."

Dani flew back to the battle, grief eating at her heart at the thought of so many dead. Heather had killed, eaten to survive, but she was a glutton ghost for punishment. Much as Dani wished the circumstances could be different, it was a new ball game now.

"I'm sorry, Heather," Dani said, floating high above the battle with the spider monster. "It shouldn't have gotten this far out of hand. You have to face what you've done."

Dani fired as powerful a blast of her ghost ray as she dared, though not willing to risk bringing the roof of the cavern down on them.

"What happened?" Alice asked, jumping clear of Dani's shot. "Are they–?"

Cobweb was blasted down into the dirt thanks to Dani's shot. Raising a set of needle legs, she fended further attacking off while her other spindley appendages dug into the ground for purchase. Dani saw the oncoming attack in time, shielding herself once more as the needle point leg tips stabbed upward at her. The tips managed to pierce the outer bubble of Dani's force field, but went no further than an inch or so.

"Someone mind filling me in?" Dexter asked, hacking away at a pair of rear legs that swung out every so often to swat at him. "What did you ladies find?"

"Never mind," Alice insisted, trying to give Dani some cover with her wrist blaster. "I don't wanna talk about it. Anyway, we need to end this now."

"Good idea," said Dani, weaving expertly through the air. "Lure her back the way I just came from. Maybe if we back her into the corner, there'll be enough time for you to suck her up with the Polter-Vac, Alice."

"Don' f'get about me."

Randy appeared on the scene with both ecto-pistols drawn and at the ready. "Jus' had t' stash our captive audience somewhere's he won't be inna way. Or rememberin' much after t'night."

Randy opened fire, using his shots to drive Cobweb backward. Alice moved in closer now that her more reliable teammate was providing cover fire. Drawing her ecto-staff, she began attacking at Cobweb's legs, joining in with Dexter to keep the spider ghost from finding balance.

"That's good," Dani cheered, firing blasts of her own. "Keep it up."

Cobweb was using her foremost front legs to try and ward off Dani's attacks. The shots from Randy's ecto-pistols, as well as Dexter and Alice's swipes at her other legs, was forcing her backward. Cobweb staggered roughly halfway to the wall. The roof above them crumbled a little, sending dirt and debris down on the Specter Detectors' helmeted heads as Cobweb rolled backward into a ball. The ghostly spider crashed to a stop a moment later at the wall where her collection of trophy corpses had been stashed.

"NooOOoooOOOoooo!" Cobweb's wail shook the whole cave. "My parts! My precious parts... all broken now. Can't make the man without parts."

Dexter and Randy each looked seriously disturbed at hearing this.

"She was–"

"–gon make," Randy finished, when Dexter hesitated. "A dude?"

The three ghost hunters and Dani Phantom observed Cobweb as she struggled to regain her footing. Alice dug the Polter-Vac out again, taking aim. Cobweb began reaching for the dried corpses that had fallen from the webbing on the wall behind her, trying to gather them all up.

"Stay back!" Cobweb warned when she noticed Dani flying in closer. "My parts! My new boyfriend. Some assembly required, but mine!"

Dani glanced down, spying Alice standing rigid with the Polter-Vac in her shaking grasp.

"Alice," she called out gently, lowering herself to the ground. "Do you need me to?"

Alice said nothing. Her breath through the helmet was shaking and uneven. It sounded to Dani like the girl underneath the armor was crying. Alice's fingers found the switch on the Polter-Vac, though. The blast from it enveloped Cobweb, sucking her into the containment unit's inner chamber.

"Mission accomplished," said Alice, her voice cracking under the strain. "Let's just..."

Randy placed a reassuring hand on Alice's arm. Dexter did the same from the other side. Each of them flanked their teammate and comrade.

"Let's get outta here," Randy suggested, while around them, the webbing inside the cave began dissolving into dust.

* * *

It felt good to be outside in the open.

"Is she going to be all right?"

Dani was asking Randy, who looked around for Alice. Alice had run on ahead, and was presently seated in one of the nearby swings on the playground.

"Dunno," Randy admitted, not happy. "I jus'... She ain't ever gotten like this b'fore. Not onna ghost hunt wit' us."

"I knew she and Heather used to be friends," Dexter said, coming up from behind to stand between Dani and Randy. "A long time ago, I mean. I didn't think she–"

Dexter didn't finish.

"I don't think she knew," Dani mused, studying Alice closely. "I'm gonna go talk to her. Do you guys wanna wait, or–"

"I'll wait," Randy said, powering his armor down. "You go on ahead, Hoss."

Dexter looked like he wanted to stay, but didn't put up a protest. Dani walked along with Dexter until they reached the swings. At which point, she stopped while Dexter continued on alone.

"Do you wanna talk?"

Alice had removed her helmet, but hadn't powered off her armor to turn back to civilian mode. The young girl kept staring off in the distance ahead of her, not looking Dani's way.

"This used to be our place," Alice whispered. "Our playground..."

Dani took a seat in the swing next to Alice and waited.

"I never had time for her," Alice went on quietly, tears streaming down the sides of her face. "Not after a while. Not when my parents... They always had some new extra-curricular for me. Said it would make me look good for college."

Dani nodded, but didn't interrupt. Randy was listening in from a few feet away near the monkey bars, taking care not to intrude.

"Then Heather met Pamela and Heather Chandler." Alice hesitated, her lower lip trembling. "And suddenly, she and Angie were a part of the Fashion Club, and I wasn't one of them anymore."

"I had to say goodbye to all my old friends in Amity Park way before I moved here," Dani revealed, cutting in briefly. "Because I don't age as fast, they were getting too old for me. People would have asked questions, and my parents thought we shouldn't risk it."

Alice used the break to wipe her face off. Dani gave her friend a quick squeeze on the knee before she continued.

"I made a few new friends," she confessed. "Eventually, I mean. But I was always scared one day they'd go on without me. To college, or to a job somewhere far away, while I was still living at home. Still waiting to grow up."

Alice nodded, her face still streaked with tears.

"I felt like Heather and Angie were the ones who grew up," she blubbered out. "Grew up first without me. I blamed my parents, and I think I joined Professor Wraitheon's work to get even. Sure, the Professor made being a ghost hunter sound exciting. I could rebel, get even with Mom and Dad, and become something great that the rest of my family hadn't done all in one go."

Dani chose to be silent, not giving an opinion or a judgment one way or the other.

"It sucks," Alice decided finally. "Heather deserved better, and she deserved better friends than the Fashion Club. Or me."

Dani stood at this, wrapping her arms around Alice to hold her close, tightly.

"You deserve good friends," she told Alice warmly. "And it looks like you've got them."

Alice hugged Dani back for a brief bit, then pushed her away so she could stand up. Dani let her friend go, watching from her vantage point in the swing. Alice didn't go far; just a couple of steps. Holding up the Polter-Vac, she powered her armor down and changed back to her civilian form.

"This was our place," she heard Alice whisper into the device. "But I guess you were in a hurry to move on. I hope... someday, you get better, and we could be friends again. Somehow."


	10. S1E10 -- Colour from the Edge of Space

Dani Phantom and the Specter Detectors

by That Long-Haired Creepy Guy

* * *

Episode 10 – The Colour From the Edge of Space

" _It came from beyond the atmosphere!"_

* * *

Episode Guide: Ghostly happenings at a farmhouse outside Kingsport Falls force Dani Phantom and the 'Guys in White' to put aside their differences once and for all so they can stop a presence that may threaten the whole planet.

* * *

Dani snapped up in alarm, sweat coating her body.

The room she slept in was dark. Light from the street outside streamed through the window, though it was hardly enough to see by. Her eyes blinked a few times, rapidly, moving on automatic. Focusing helped easy the racing hummingbird beating against the inside of her chest. She feared for a second that her heart might rupture.

It had been the dream again.

"Damn," she swore, pressing a hand against her throbbing head. "Again?"

Since the move to Kingsport Falls, Dani had been plagued on and off by dreams; all of them the same. They were her memories of the Ghost Wars, coming back to haunt her as she slept. Of course, the idea of a half-ghost superhero being haunted by dreams struck her as funny, but Dani couldn't bring herself to laugh.

"I really need to get more sleep," she grumbled, tossing the sweat-soaked covers off her body. "At this rate, I'll be a human-ghost-raccoon hybrid by next week."

The room was icy cold. It was not quite midnight–at least, according to the clock on the bedside table. The light from the digital numbers added to what little was coming through her window. Dani stood up and stretched, getting the kinks that had built up from her restless slumber out of her system.

"Ugh, I can't go back to bed like this," she mused, already feeling restless and irritable. "Maybe there's somebody online right now..."

The thought of getting on her computer reminded Dani. It had been well over a week since she'd last heard from her family. The space mission meant they were usually occupied, so the gap in transmissions wasn't terribly shocking.

"Besides," Dani reasoned out loud to herself, "if anything has gone wrong, it'd be all over the news by now."

The thought settled her nerves somewhat, but not completely. Dani had been tormented by bad dreams before–especially in the years following the Ghost Zone breaking through into Amity Park. She'd had her whole family with her for that ordeal, and the years afterward.

"Maybe that's it," she thought to herself while settling into the swiveling desk chair. "I haven't really been on my own before. Not until now, at least. And... well, the Kravens are nice, sure. But we haven't known one another that well until recently."

Talking out loud gave her brain a sense of clarity. Dani settled into her chair, and began punching in the password for her e-mail. Once the page was ready, she typed out her message. A video transmission this late would take longer than she liked. Dani wanted to hear from her mother and father as soon as she could. There would be time to speak to the camera when the sun was up.

And, when her hair didn't look like five different bird's nests fused into one.

"There," she said a moment later, having composed a quick message detailing recent events, as well as a desire to hear back from them all. "I guess that's done."

As Dani's hand moved the mouse in order to click the 'Send' icon, her phone went off. The noise startled her, and in her confusion, she nearly hit the delete command instead.

"Whew!" Dani breathed out, once the e-mail was on its way. "Okay, so who would be calling me this late at night."

It was after midnight at this point. Dani reached for her phone to silence the ringing before it woke her aunt and uncle up. Thus far, it sounded as though she were the only one awake, at least under their roof. Her mysterious caller evidently had insomnia.

"Hello?" she asked, thinking it might be Randy. "Randy, is this you?"

The number was unknown, and the voice that answered was definitely not Randy.

"Danielle Fenton?"

No one in Kingsport Falls knew Dani by that name; not outside Randy and a couple of others. She had only heard the person speaking a few times, but Dani recognized the voice.

"Professor Wraitheon?"

The Professor let out a sigh of relief.

"Good," the Professor said, and it sounded to Dani like she was moving around in her electric wheelchair. "You sound awake. I thought maybe you had gone to sleep."

"I woke up because I had to send an e-mail," Dani explained, not entirely comfortable with sharing all her secrets right now. "Is something the matter?"

"You could say that," the Professor answered wryly. "I'm afraid something rather drastic has taken place, Danielle. The Specter Detectors may have been captured."

Professor Wraitheon now had Dani's full attention.

"Tell me," she said, leaning forward in her chair with the phone pressed to one ear.

"I can tell you what I know," the Professor replied. "Late last year, before the Innsmouth Academy incident, my team encountered several rudimentary ectoplasmic manifestations."

"Those blobs of ectoplasm that almost swallowed Randy?" Dani guessed, reaching the correct conclusion. "Randy told me."

"Exactly," Professor Wraitheon said, glad that Dani was so sharp. "They had some unusual properties, but at the time, I didn't see them as a serious threat. Just a mystifying puzzle to solve somewhere down the road."

"And now?" Dani pressed, growing impatient.

"Right," the Professor went on. "Earlier this evening, I detected similar readings further upstate, not terribly far outside town. The team was called, briefed, and then sent in to investigate."

The Professor paused, and the guilt in her silence was self-evident.

"I've lost all contact with them," she continued, her voice breaking a bit. "Dani, they've gone off radar completely. I'm worried something terrible may have happened."

"Where?" Dani demanded, getting to her feet.

"Good," Professor Wraitheon said, and there came the clicking of fingers on a keyboard. "I was hoping you'd be on board. I'm sending you the coordinates and a map now, along with everything I have on file presently. Hopefully, it will be enough."

Dani flashed into her ghost form without the usual fanfare of her battle cry.

"I just got them," she said, hearing her phone make its usual 'ping' noise. "Once I get to the site, I'll contact you again."

"Thank you," said the Professor graciously. "Time is of the essence. You should go now. I'll do whatever I can from this end."

Dani hung up without saying goodbye, phasing through the wall of her room and out into the dead of night. The street below was deserted. Dani put both arms in front of herself and raced off toward where the map on the phone indicated.

"Hold on, Randy," she whispered, gritting her teeth. "I'm coming!"

* * *

The figure on the roof remained hidden in shadows, watching as the spectral figure that was Dani Phantom raced off into the night.

"Agent Q to base," he spoke, hitting the button on his bluetooth. "She's just left the residence. Shall I pursue?"

"Leave her be," came the command. "Return to base for a debriefing and donuts. I have a squadron ready to track her."

"Yes, sir," the agent obeyed, lowering his hand away from his ear.

"Besides," the voice on the other end added, "I'd rather deal with this personally. It's obvious where the Ghost Girl is headed."

The agent terminated the signal and sighed with relief. It had been weeks since he was assigned the surveillance job of monitoring the spectral anomaly known as Danielle Kraven, ne Fenton. The previous agent given the task had wussed out once the weather turned cold. Weeks spent on the rooftops watching the museum while snow fell had given him a persistent cold.

"Hot soup and a cup of tea," the agent grumbled as he worked his way down the fire escape. "Maybe a warm bath to go with. That's all I want right now."

A great glob of snow dislodged itself from the rooftop's edge as the agent reached the end of the escape ladder. The agent had taken two steps before being struck on the top of the head by a soggy, icy snowball.

"Agent Q to base," he said wearily, contacting the operator on call with his bluetooth. "I need a requisition for dry cleaning and a warm towel waiting at my desk upon my return."

"Requisition received," the operator on the other end said. "Also, your son is on line two, asking if you can make it to his basketball game."

The agent almost slipped as he walked out through the mouth of the alley.

"Tell him to fill out request form 15, sign in triplicate, and then call me back," said the agent, keeping a close watch now for ice patches on the snowy sidewalk. "I don't have time for breeches in protocol right now."

* * *

The woods beyond the city limits of Kingsport Falls were thick and rife with woodland life. At least, it was that way most of the time. Dani spared a glimpse out at the cliffs forming the base for the town, where the city took its name. Winter in this part of the world was known for being quiet, yet somehow, the silence down below felt unnatural.

Dani couldn't put a finger to why she felt so uneasy. She was worried for the others–for Randy in particular. It had been one of the things she'd feared since first learning about the Specter Detectors. A ghost hunter was in constant danger from the moment they picked up the mantle. Furthermore, her classmates were even younger than she was. Of course, Dani was only about ten or so, and her brother had begun his career chasing specters around the same age as them.

It made Dani question why Professor Wraitheon had picked them. Surely, there had been adults around for her to select from. At the moment, though, Dani felt she needed the Professor more than she did answers to her questions. According to the map on her phone, she was fast approaching the area where Randy and the others were last seen.

"Here's as good a place as any," she decided, slowing to a stop in mid-air. "Let's hope she's still online."

Dani hit the call button and waited for Professor Wraitheon to connect.

"Dani?" the Professor's voice came through clear, carrying with it a thread of worry.

"It's me," she assured, keeping the setting on audio only so as to save bandwith. There wasn't much of it this far outside the town.

"I was just starting to worry you wouldn't make it," the Professor revealed, sighing with relief. "Good. You're near the coordinates now."

"I know," Dani affirmed, bringing the phone closer. "But with me this far away, and us not knowing what happened, I feel like we maybe ought to come up with a plan first."

"I've been working on that, actually," Professor Wraitheon revealed, and Dani thought she could hear the sound of keys on a keyboard being clicked. "I managed to hack into a surveillance satellite."

Dani could imagine what her mother would say to that–not to mention her 'brother', Wes–but she was amicable enough for the moment.

"You're going to get an eye-in-the-sky view of the area?" Dani questioned, guessing at the Professor's response.

"Exactly," Professor Wraitheon revealed. "I'm streaming the image to you now. Stand by to receive video."

Dani waited, still hovering in place. The snow-covered woods below were making her feel uneasy. She still couldn't hear any sounds, not even ghostly noises. That didn't collaborate with what little the Professor had told her thus far. Somehow, though, the fact that Dani wasn't detecting any ghosts made her more worried instead of less.

"Got it," she called out, not meaning to sound as loud as she did when her phone pinged. "Looks like..."

Dani trailed off, taking in the picture from what the satellite had sent.

"That's..." she began, losing the capacity for words momentarily, "...a lot of ghost activity. Assuming this is what we're looking at?"

"It is," Professor Wraitheon confirmed, highlighting the circled area from her end to Dani's phone. The entire region was covered with an aurora borealis affect. The shimmering lights showed an entire section affected by some unknown, ghostly presence.

"I've wired the satellite feed into my monitoring equipment," Professor Wraitheon explained, zooming in on one area in particular that was highlighted in red. "You're seeing what the equipment tells us."

"Good to know," Dani joked, trying to lighten the mood. "At least I know I won't be flying into a tutty-fruity flavored fog."

Either Professor Wraitheon didn't appreciate Dani's attempt at comedy during a crisis, or else she was too distracted by what her equipment was reading. Either way, Dani waited while the Professor continued to type rapidly on the other end.

"These readings are similar to those free-roaming blobs the teens brought in last year," Professor Wraiteon continued, still typing away in the background. "If I had more time, I could examine them and hopefully know what it is you're up against."

"I can figure that much out," Dani revealed, flying up higher toward the sky. "Lemme do a quick parameter sweep. I can snap a photo for you."

Dani put her phone away before the Professor could object, or tell her how dangerous it was. Dani did not have to fly far before she came upon the strange lights. Slowing down, she reached for her phone, but then stopped.

The scene that greated her was unlike anything she could have imagined. An empty circular plane unfolded out in the center of the woods. It looked as if something had scooped out all of the trees and foliage, yet Dani couldn't see tracks of deforesting equipment.

There was more, though. The light seemed to come from everywhere inside of the clearing. Colors that looked off somehow, as if they were distilled or warped, shined brightly. The light hurt Dani's eyes to look at it for too long, and she felt the stirrings of a headache come on. Steeling herself, Dani willed the ache in her brain away as best she could, reaching for the phone.

"There," she whispered, finding it hard to speak. "That's done. Let's hope the Professor knows what any of this means."

Dani snapped a couple of other photos for good measure from different angles, then sent them all to Professor Wraitheon in a bundle. Minimizing the screen with the satellite transmission, she stored the pics away and waited. Professor Wraitheon didn't keep her long.

"This is remarkable," she whispered over the phone. "Why, if I didn't know better, I'd think that the spectral phenomenon was somehow... alterning the landscape."

"That would've been my guess," said Dani, choosing to go along with the Professor's hypothesis.

"Amazing," the Professor went on, and it sounded to Dani as though she might be pleased. "We have to take samples. Can you get close enough to collect a few?"

"Later," Dani replied, surprised that she was even asking. "The others, remember? Whole reason I flew up here to begin with?"

Wraitheon at least had the decency to sound embarrassed.

"Right," she agreed. "So sorry, Dani. I let myself get carried away."

Dani was skeptical, but didn't speak on the matter further.

"I'm moving in closer," she informed, lowering herself close to the distorted ground. "Searching for signs of the others now."

Moving in closer let Dani see just how bad things were on the ground. From so high up, it had looked as though the clearing was a desolate wasteland. As she soared above the surface, it became all too clear just how right and wrong she was all at once.

The ground was covered in some kind of moss. It looked like the soft grassy down one might find near trees, except it was purple. Stalks of some kind of plant life Dani had never seen before sprouted high up, each one far apart from the other. All contained large, bulbous heads at the top, which fanned out like the hairs of a thistledown.

There were pulsating orbs grouped together like bushes. These sacs of what could have been viscous fluid glowed a bright, florescent yellow. Their bodies drummed to a rhythm in time with one another. The outside membrane contained markings that reminded Dani of veins, and she shuddered involuntarily.

This close, the light no longer bothered her eyes quite so much. She had passed through whatever intangible mist that had been giving it off. Down below, it was only a minor nusance that her eyes struggled to adapt to successfully.

"At least I can see where I'm going," Dani mused, bringing the phone up to her face. "Professor, I'm going to–"

The renewed conversation was cut drastically short by a blast from an unseen attacker. The red ecto-assault energy blasted Dani clear out of the air. Unable to right herself in time, she collapsed, tumbling to the ground. The phone in her hand fell away, thumping against the soft, squishy ground. Dani tried not to think about what the wetness might consist of, instead focusing her attention on where her assailant was lurking about from.

"Ugh," she moaned, clutching her head. "Hold that thought, Professor, if you can still hear me. Seems I've got some uninvited company."

Dani prayed that the ground consisted of something she could still phase through. Her reasoning proved sound, as her body went intangible and drifted down through the Earth like any other soil.

"This is Alpha squadron leader," a voice said, belonging to a single, white hazmat-suited female that stepped out into the open. "Target has disappeared. Potentially phased through the ground."

Several other squadron members emerged, each sporting the same pale, white suit and helmets. All carried weapons meant to combat ghostly threats. The heavy blasters and energy rifles glowed a dark, sinister red color on the readouts and power modulators built into them.

"Confirm identity of target," a male voice ordered firmly, leaving no room for argument. "I want to be sure it's her. Do not engage unless provoked. I am en route now."

The members of Alpha squadron all turned their weapons outward, maneuvering in a circular formation. The leader remained inside the flank, holding a pair of ecto-goggles up to her helmet visor.

"No sign or readings thus far," she said through their comm link. "But in this dense soup, who can tell either."

"Our scanners are still reading strangely," the second-in-command informed, sparing a glance her way. "Probably because of the mutated foliage. There's so much ectoplasm in the air right now."

"Understood," the leader said, still watching through the goggles she held. "Continue surveillance and report any unusual findings."

The leader reconsidered her statement.

"Any other unusual findings," she decided, lowering the goggles from her visor. "Just... look for the Ghost Girl, all right?"

No one protested, but the leader was certain she heard a snicker or two over the comms. Frustrated, she drew her own heavy artillery ecto-blaster and waited.

Dani, meanwhile, watched from a vantage point several feet away, using her invisibility to avoid being noticed.

"Looks like all the changes in the area mess with their equipment," she reasoned, figuring it was why nobody had tried to blast her again despite her being so close. "At least some good's coming from all this craziness."

Staying invisible and flying low to the ground, Dani worked her way back over to the spot where she'd dropped her phone earlier. The device was right where she'd last seen it. The call was disconnected, so Dani hit redial and moved further along away from the squad of armed ghost hunters while she waited to connect.

"Dani?" The Professor's voice sounded frantic, which was encouraging. "Is that you? What just happened?"

"Bad news," Dani said. "Looks like this phenomenon, whatever it is, didn't go unnoticed."

Dani took cover behind what might have been trees once upon a time. The branches had twisted themselves into the ground, giving off the appearance of a warped cage of some kind. That, or a gnarled mess of grasping hands digging into the spoiled earth.

"I see them," said the Professor, having been typing the whole time. "Satellite feed is still connected. There are eight of them, total."

"I know," Dani revealed. "I already did a head count when I scoped out where the blast that hit me came from. This, for the record, is not good."

"Why?" came the obvious question. "Who are they?"

Dani phased around the warped tree branches, using their cover to form a hiding space for herself. The inside of the branch nest was dark, even more so. It was like the strange lights coming from the ground outside avoided the spot. She tried not to think about what that might mean as well.

Between the wet ground and this, there were a lot of things she was avoiding dwelling on.

"Guys in White," Dani replied, making a disgusted face. "Government types. They hunt ghosts, but they're not very nice about it."

"I've heard of them," Professor Wraitheon said, and she didn't sound much more pleased than Dani was. "Used to fire high-calibre weapons in civilian occupied areas."

"That's them," Dani affirmed, chancing a peek out to make sure the coast was still clear in the general area surrounding her. "They got involved during the Ghost Wars. Haven't heard anything from them in a long time, though."

"Rumor has it," the Professor said, the typing sound renewing on her end, "the government stripped most of their funding after the fiasco in Amity Park ten years ago."

Dani nodded, then remembered the Professor couldn't see her. The link with the satellite feed had shut off along with the call when they were disconnected. The only thing running now was audio.

"You know," the Professor added, almost in a coy voice. "I'd love to hear you tell me more about that, Dani. The files I've been able to find were heavily encrypted–"

"Later," Dani reminded, through grit teeth. "...maybe. And how is it that I'm having to remind a grown adult to stay focused."

The laughter on Wraitheon's end of the conversation almost sounded mocking to Dani.

"Ever heard of 'absent-minded professor'?" the Professor asked her, teasing. "Seriously, though. You aren't wrong. The others are waiting, and they need our help. Time to start focusing and get our people out of there."

"I'm on board," Dani said, lowering her voice when she heard footsteps outside nearby. "Gimme a minute, though. They're coming my way right now."

A twig snapped to Dani's right. Someone was just outside the nest of branches she was hiding inside of. The branches on that side groaned, like they were actually moaning out loud in protest. A member of the GiW had grabbed hold of one, it turned out, and was pulling it back. Light from outside shined into the dark, makeshift cave.

"I see her," the agent in the hazmat suit called out. "She's hiding in here."

"Shit!" Dani swore, and she fired a blast from her ghost ray through the opening. "Sorry, Professor. Have to put you on hold again!"

Dani squeezed her body through the opening before the branches could maneuver and close it back. It was much easier to do in her ghostly state, especially with a bit of stretching. The branches, meanwhile, moaned as they snaked their way shut.

"Alright," she shouted, hovering above the agents' heads. "Enough of this sneaking around. You guys work for the Guys in White. Care to explain what you're doing out here in my neck of the woods?"

None of the agents moved; all of them were rooted to their respective places. Several did, however, turn their weapons up and point them at her. Dani was prepared to defend herself, but it proved unnecessary.

"Hold your fire," came the order, causing each agent to go at ease.

Dani looked in the direction of where the voice came from. A new figure, male and of average height, walked calmly in their direction. He gave no mind to the oddness of their surrounding, acting as if these were things he had seen before.

"I believe, Miss Fenton," the man said, stopping a few feet from where the leader of Alpha squadron waited, "that I could ask you that same thing?"

Dani scowled, but did not blast the stranger.

"Professor Wraitheon," she said softly into her phone. "I'm going to have to call you back."

* * *

"Start talking."

Dani had lighted on the squishy moss in front of the new arrival, but did not change out of her ghostly form. The man pressed a button on his hazmat suit in response, allowing the tint on his helmet visor to fade. Seeing his face clearly for the first time, Dani realized the older man was very handsome. His eyes were a piercing blue, and he sported a straight, business haircut for his blond locks.

"Certainly," said the new agent, offering Dani his hand. "I suppose introductions are in order. You, of course, are Dani Phantom, otherwise known as Danielle Fenton ne Kraven."

"Good guess," said Dani, crossing both arms in order to appear nonplussed. "And to whom might I have the displeasure?"

The agent withdrew his hand politely, instead using it to remove his helmet.

"You can call me Agent Epsilon," he replied, tucking the helmet under one arm. "And I am the newest director in charge of the Guys in White."

"Funny," said Dani skeptically, looking the man over. "I thought you bozos always took code names based on letters of the alphabet. Like in that movie..."

"It's a Greek letter," Agent Epsilon informed, tilting his head slightly in annoyance. "That counts. Such a shame they no longer teach such information in school. One must go to Wikipedia now."

"Heartbreaking," Dani concured sardonically, contempt evident. "What are you all doing here, and in Kingsport Falls for that matter. This is my turf."

Agent Epsilon found this to be quite amusing.

"Your turf?" he asked, as though he'd somehow gained the upper hand. "Miss Fenton, we have been stationed in Kingsport Falls for some time now. Well before your arrival, at least."

Dani didn't appreciate the implications of that one bit.

"You've been spying on me," she harbored, watching closely for the agent's reaction. "Still convinced my brother and I are a threat to the world, huh?"

"We had you under surveillance," Agent Epsilon corrected, raising a finger. "You and the Kravens. There's a subtle difference there."

"Like hell there is," Dani challenged, unfolding her arms. "Now, I'm going to ask one last time: What is going on?"

Agent Epsilon sighed.

"I was... hoping you might could tell me," he admitted, looking defeated briefly. "Would you happen to have a minute so I can explain?"

Dani would have preferred punching the man, but she needed information, and the director of the Guys in White evidently had some he wanted to share. The unlikeliness of that alone stirred her curiosity.

"You've got one," she said, placing a hand on her hip. "Talk fast."

Agent Epsilon nodded agreeably, then turned and motioned to his subordinates.

"Take five," he ordered. "Parameter sweep. Don't shoot anything unless you have to. And make sure the science teams have plenty of samples to work with."

The leader of Alpha squadron saluted before turning away. The rest of the agents moved out without question, scattering in groups of two.

"I thought you might appreciate the privacy," Epsilon explained. "Now, to summarize. There's been a great deal of ectoplasmic activity in Kingsport Falls these past few years. The government finally took enough notice of it to reestablish the Guys in White, setting me up as the patsy in case anything goes wrong."

"So they have someone to blame," Dani finished, looking smug at the thought.

"You know it," Agent Epsilon said. "Near the end of last year–"

"Big upsurge of ectoplasmic activity out here in the woods," Dani threw in, hurrying things along. "Floating blobs that get bigger when you shot them. That sorta stuff?"

Agent Epsilon cleared his throat, but gave her a singular nod.

"Yes. Well, as you seem to be up on the circumstances thus far, we began monitoring the area. This afternoon, the readings spiked considerably."

"Which is when some friends of mine decided to investigate." Dani wasn't comfortable telling the director everything, but he hadn't shot at her so far. "And now, they've gone missing."

"I suspect they may be close by," Agent Epsilon revealed, pointing beyond the nest of branches Dani had been hiding in. "There's a farmhouse just up ahead. If they were smart, your friends sought shelter."

"They're smart," Dani affirmed, perhaps sounded defensive of them. "One of them is... sort of my boyfriend."

Agent Epsilon placed his helmet back on at hearing that.

"Then we need to hurry," he told her, opening up a transmission channel on a mini-computer built into his arm sleeve. "I'll signal my people to surround the house. Assuming it's clear, we'll go inside to investigate together."

Agent Epsilon hesitated.

"Assuming you can stomach working with me," he added for her benefit.

"Like I have much choice right now," Dani grumbled. "But, why are you helping me? Last time I checked, nobody from the Guys in White were members of my fan club."

Dani had to pause herself for a second.

"Not that I have one, mind you."

"I'll explain while we walk, if it's all the same," said the director of the government ghost hunting agency, moving along past Dani.

Dani followed, walking along at an even pace with the senior agent, and keeping an open ear the entire time. Agent Epsilon spoke easily, as if he had nothing to hide from her.

"After the Ghost Wars," Agent Epsilon told Dani frankly, "many people in Washington felt that our agency had done more harm than good."

Dani rolled her eyes, thinking silently that this fact could be considered obvious, then or at present.

"It was clear that more good would have come from the Guys in White acting in tandem with Fentonworks. Adding to the fact that our organization showed limited success in capturing and containing spectral anomalies before and after the Ghost Wars, an overhaul was deemed in order."

"Meaning?" Dani pressed as they moved softly through the mutated landscape.

Agent Epsilon paused to consult something on his mini-computer.

"You're looking at a kinder, gentler Guys in White," he informed, sounding proud of the fact. "And far more successful for it. I'd like to go on record as saying right now that we hold no animosity toward your adopted family, yourself, or the Fentons."

Dani kept right on walking, letting that speak for what was going through her head.

"And I suppose the spying on me was just the agency's friendly way of saying, 'welcome to the neighborhood', huh?"

"No," Agent Epsilon said meaningfully. "It was for your protection."

Dani stopped short, which allowed Agent Epsilon to catch up with her. The director continued walking, pushing aside a cluster of the bulbous stalks, which had grouped together for some reason.

"We're here," Agent Epsilon called out to Dani, snapping her out of her daze. "And it looks like my people have already posted themselves in a circumference around the property."

Dani pushed aside the stalks next, stepping out beyond them to stand next to Agent Epsilon. The director was speaking the truth about his people. Alpha squadron had surrounded the farmhouse, keeping a safe distance from the house.

Dani could guess as to why. The windows of the farmhouse glowed with the same bright, eerie light that she's seen from above earlier. Looking at the windows directly made her eyes burn.

"Looks cheerful," Agent Epsilon said.

"Was that a joke?" Dani asked, confused. "Because I honestly couldn't tell. And, isn't there a government policy against having a sense of humor."

"Yes," Epsilon informed her, keeping his tone neutral. "I'm likely to face severe fines for that one infraction."

Dani stared at the man, waiting.

"That was a joke," he added, smirking. "Shall we be off, together?"

Dani didn't like stepping out into the open when there were armed Guys in White all around. Agent Epsilon went first, stepping lightly across the gap between the stalks and the farmhouse. Feeling foolish, but also erring to the side of caution, Dani waited until she was certain no one was pointing a weapon at her.

"You coming?" Epsilon called out, not looking back to see if Dani had kept up.

Dani's answer was to land on the front porch in front of the Guys in White director.

"Ladies first, remember?" she said, making it sound like a challenge.

"Of course," said the agent, nodding politely. "Where were my manners at?"

Dani opted to use the direct approach, and blasted the front door right off its hinges. The wood panel exploded into splinters, flying inward down the dimly lit interior foyer.

"Subtle," Agent Epsilon commented. "Yet effective, all the same."

Dani was beginning to regret bringing up whether or not the Guys in White director had a sense of humor. It was becoming clear that his idea of comedy involved getting under her skin.

"Let's just go," she said, taking the lead.

The foyer opened up into a kitchen and dining room area; before that, though, there was a drawing room space on the right and a long hallway leading to the back of the house on the left.

"Which way?" she wondered, floating above the dusty floor.

"Mm." Agent Epsilon was kneeling on the hardwood floor beside the hallway entrance, brushing his fingers with something. "The floor's dirty."

Dani didn't see the relevance of this, and her patience was wearing thin with the man.

"Maybe they forgot to call the maid?" she suggested.

"This far out?" the director said pointedly. "No, I don't think so. A more likely scenario is that nobody has been living here for weeks. Perhaps even longer."

Dani opened her mouth. What she had been on the verge of saying fled from her mind, because there came a noise from upstairs on the second floor. Agent Epsilon turned to look down the hallway. A flight of stairs sat at the end. The sound seemed to come from there.

"What are the odds it's just rats?" Dani asked.

Agent Epsilon went ahead down the hall without speaking. It looked as though the time for jokes had passed. Dani kept up, sticking to flying through the air in the small space above the director. The hallway was not wide, leaving little space for either of them to move. Dani had never been particularly claustrophobic, but the idea that they could be attacked brought along a sense of unease.

"This looks disconcerting," Agent Epsilon commented, reaching the stairs first.

Dani saw what he meant the moment she got there. The steps were marred by some type of growth weaving through the railing. The substance didn't look like spider's webbing, thankfully–Dani had enjoyed her quota of spider's for the quarter. It was almost like Spanish moss, but thinner and more brittle.

It dawned on Dani that the director might not have been talking about the strange moss-like growth at all. There were also puddles of florescent goo near the middle of the steps heading upward.

"Which part?" she wondered out loud. "The stuff on the railing that reminds me of the world's most ambitious brown recluse, or the apparent trail left by a neon cat with a full bladder?"

Agent Epsilon took his time thinking that over.

"Take your pick," he decided, finally, using great caution to avoid putting his foot near the puddles while ascending the stairs. "Coming?"

Dani grimaced, but resigned to floating up the stairs after the agent, eying the puddles the whole time. This meant she wasn't looking where she was going, and almost phased through Epsilon, hazmat suit and all.

"What?" she asked when he looked at her strangely. "I wasn't going anywhere near that stuff."

"I said nothing," replied the director in a lofty tone. "Though, he's a much better question for you: remember all that weird light we saw coming through the windows from inside the house?"

Dani felt like there was a trick behind this inquiry, though she couldn't see it.

"Yes?" she finally went with, not knowing what else to say.

"Why is it so dark inside, hm?"

Dani looked around her. It hadn't registered until the GiW agent pointed out the obvious. The upstairs was just as dark and bereft of light as the bottom floor. The stairwell had opened up into another hallway, this made up completely of doors and nothing else. No light bulbs were turned on and no lamps shined enough light to see the way.

"This is weird," she concluded, risking the chance to float her feet down to the floor.

"We passed weird quite a ways back," Agent Epsilon told her. "This is downright kooky."

Agent Epsilon walked past Dani and down the hallway. He was searching the rooms, apparently looking for survivors or members of her group of friends. Dani started to go after him, not willing to risk any of her circle being left alone to his devices, but something was bothering her.

"Kooky?" she asked, moving ahead to search one of the rooms further down the hall.

"It's a technical term," Agent Epsilon revealed, chuckling.

The director was reaching for the door knob of a room Dani had walked past. As it swung open, she thought she saw movement–a shadow passing down the hallway toward them. She didn't panic; there was no need. Her ghost sense hadn't triggered.

Then Agent Epsilon screamed, and all hell broke lose.

"Danielle, watch out!" Agent Epsilon screamed, as something grabbed hold of him by the front of his protective suit.

The door in front of Dani shattered. Rotted wood chips–reeking of decay–flew at her face as something burst forth out of the room. Dani rolled backward on instinct, catching the slippery figure when it passed above where her head and torso had been a second prior.

"Sorry, not interested," she shouted, firing off a blast from her ghost ray to propel her attacker even further away. "I have a boyfriend. Have you tried ?"

Dani shifted into a smoke form, reappearing several feet in the air above where she'd fallen. The creature had splat against the wall, forming a sticky wet spot there behind it. That would have been gross enough, but Dani was distracted by her attacker in question.

The body was bloated in an unnatural sort of way, like a corpse that had been underwater for too long. There were tendrils sticking out from an uneven face that reminded her of half-melted wax. One arm stretched out much to far from the rest of the body. It took Dani a moment to realize that she was looking at a tentacle.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," she murmured, but then realized the same sticky wet substance on the wall was also clinging to her hands. "Ugh, correction. Now I'm gonna be sick. Gross!"

The creature pushed off the wall, managing enough force without shattering it to propel itself through the air. Dani was ready, firing dual blasts of her ghost ray through each hand. This did shatter the wall, opening up a crater through it using the bulbous creature's body.

"And best of all," she said gleefully, "that cleaned the gunk off my hands."

"A little help here, if you don't mind!"

Dani turned, finding Agent Epsilon cornered at the other end of the hallway behind the stairs. The creature attacking him was tall and unearthly thin. She could count bones hanging off the loose skin still attached to the body. Dani almost hesitated, but then the spindleshanks monster raised one arm. Extra joints were attached to the appendage. It looked broken and warped in places, yet moved easily. There was a blade of some sort on the end that reminded Dani of a scythe.

"Get away from him!" she screamed, realizing that the creature intended to behead Agent Epsilon.

Dani's ghost ray blew a hole straight through the thing's chest. The creature turned around, looking first at Dani Phantom before studying the smoldering gap. Rather than upset, it seemed confused somehow. With it facing her, Dani got a good look at the facial features–or lack thereof. The face was a complete blank save for a cluster of three eyes near the forehead.

"I guess you couldn't lose much more weight than you already have," she reasoned, and kept right on blasting away. "Unlike your friend back there. You know, there are some girls at my high school who would love to know your secret."

Dani's shots blew away portions of the creature bit by bit, until there was nothing left but a pair of feet resting on the floor.

"I think you should stop now," Agent Epsilon said, looking a little worried behind his helmet. "I'm happy with the way I look right now. There's no need for additional improvements."

"I need to blast you on principle if you thought they did," Dani quipped, flying right over to him. "What were those things? They didn't trigger my ghost sense."

Agent Epsilon did not look pleased. Kneeling down, he studied one of the discarded limbs from the monster that Dani had blown off.

"I think," he said gravely, trying to brace Dani for the wicked truth, "we may have encountered what was left of the family that lived here."

The full meaning of what the director of the Guys in White was trying to say hit Dani. It was enough to bring her back down to the floor.

"No," she whispered, grief-stricken.

On the other side of the hallway, the bloated figure of the farmhouse's second resident reappeared. Leaping out through the hole from which it had been thrown, the beast roared as it charged.

"Get down," Agent Epsilon ordered, shoving Dani out of the way.

Dani collided with the wall, but was grateful all the same. Somewhere between pushing her and stepping forward, Agent Epsilon had drawn a weapon. It was not a particularly large one, but the device got the job done nicely. She turned and watched when Epsilon fired. A red gellatinous substance stuck to the belly of the thing. The beast found himself being backward down the hall again.

"What is that stuff?" Dani asked, as the creature glowed a bright red.

"Combustible ectoplasmic gel," Agent Epsilon said, taking hold of Dani by the shoulder. "Turn this way, please."

Dani was all set to protest. Then it occurred to her what the agent had just told her, so she covered her ears. Agent Epsilon did the same, managing just before the creature behind them exploded. Bits of it were stuck to the wall, along with the same muccus fluid she'd seen earlier.

"I really don't like thinking about what that stuff might be," Dani moaned, feeling queasy.

"They didn't try to attack us until we went for those two doors," Agent Epsilon reasoned, already back to being all business. "Come on. Let's see what was in there that was so special."

Agent Epsilon's room was a bust, but Dani had picked hers wisely.

"Dexter!" she cried out, seeing her friend hanging from the wall by the weird fungal moss substance they'd found on the stairs.

Dexter's eyes fluttered open slowly at the sound of Dani's voice. The pupils took their time coming into focus. When they did, Dexter blinked to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Hey," came his weak, yet eloquent reply.

"If I may?" asked Agent Epsilon, suddenly sporting a glowing red switchblade, which he used to cut Dexter free.

"Is he all right?" Dani asked, helping to get Dexter down.

"I'm... all right," Dexter insisted, his head rolling back and forth loosely on his shoulders. "M' fine. Just... need to catch... my breath. Maybe... go potty."

Agent Epsilon put the glowing blade away and pressed something on his mini-computer.

"I'm signaling the squadron," he explained. "We have a mobile sub-station set out beyond the border. They'll have a look at him once he's been seen to safety."

Having to rely on the Guys in White to ensure her friends safety stung, but Dani couldn't afford to be choosy. Agent Epsilon had been given numerous opportunities to hurt her up until this point. So far, he'd remained a perfect gentleman and ally, so Dani was willing to trust him.

She could be skeptical once they were safely out of this nightmare.

"Dexter," Dani said, giving Dexter a couple of light slaps so he didn't pass out. "Dexter, I need you to focus for a minute before the Guys in White get here. Where are the others?"

"Mm?" Dexter's head rolled back again, and his eyes had to zero in on Dani's face once more. "Others? Oh right... out back. We were... at the well. Then they grabbed us."

Agent Epsilon had Dexter in his arms then.

"Go," he ordered, keeping Dexter tucked into his embrace. "I'll watch out for him until the team arrives, then send re-enforcements. We both know you have the best chance of getting there."

Dani didn't argue. She was already flying through the house, phasing through walls like they didn't exist. The backyard area of the farmhouse was just as weird as the rest of the property. The land looked as if it had been especially damaged, sporting the same bizarre plant life as before, but in much larger quantities.

"The well," Dani exclaimed happily, spotting the stone structure further back beyond what was left of some trees. "There it is!"

Dani shot across the sky, diving down into the well's entrance without dubiety. The cylindric passage went straight down, dry as a bone, with nothing stopping her. Dani found she didn't even have to go intangible. A light at the bottom helped her gage how far she had to go.

At the end of the well's depth, she found herself inside a small cavern. There was enough room to levitate, but little else. In seperate corners, Randy and Alice sat curled up in fetal positions. They were unconscious, it looked like. The light from above was radiating from a strange object in the center. Before checking on her friends, Dani had a quick look to make sure it wasn't about to attack them.

The stuff looked like it was a rock, except that it wobbled slightly, as though made of clear rubble or some kind of jello mold. It kept switching colors, too. Dani would blink, finding it a different, oddly-tinted color each time.

"I don't have time for this," she reminded herself, leaving the strange rock where it was.

Alice stayed unconscious while Dani hoisted her up, Randy came to while she was moving him. A smile fluttered to life weakly across his face when he saw it was her.

"M' girl," he said, coughing weakly. "Ah's said... you'd get here."

"I did." Dani couldn't help but feel proud of herself. "Now hold on tightly, and lets get our asses outta here!"

Dani managed to turn herself and her friends intangible, though it wasn't easy. The light from the rock made it hard to work her powers, it felt like.

"What took you s' long?" Randy asked, still mumbling weakly.

"Hey, I got here," she reminded him, though it was mostly in jest. "You want fast, or do you want dependible."

"Both," Randy replied, and it sounded as though his strength was coming back. "Um, Dani?"

Randy sounded very worried, which under the circumstances, was normal. Dani looked back down the way they'd come anyway, and almost wished she hadn't. The light was changing, and it was getting brighter as well.

"Of course," she groaned. "Hold on, guys! I'm putting the pedal to the metal, so to speak."

The passage down to the cavern was too narrow for three people flying up it side by side. It was why Dani had gone intangible in the first place. Foregoing the straight-up approach, she dove into the solid rock, as the pulsating light from below exploded upward like an Old Faithful of protons.

When Dani rose up out of the ground, Agent Epsilon was waiting for her.

"My team–" he began, but it was Dani's turn to shout.

"Get down!" she screamed, tackling the director while still carrying Alice and Randy.

The well behind her exploded. Dani looked around, spying a column of painful light rising up high into the sky. The clouds around them parted, spinning in a frightful circle. In the center where the light struck, it looked like an opening of some kind was appearing.

"Oh dear," Epsilon muttered worriedly.

The opening widened, spreading out far and wide across the farm property and beyond. Dani stared up into what used to be the sky, trying to make sense out of what she was seeing. It looked like the reaches of deep space had come to Earth.

"What on Earth–?"

Agent Epsilon rolled out from under her and stood.

"I believe," he said, seeing the same thing, "it's quite the opposite, actually."

Something was growing out of the corner of space they were seeing. It looked like a nebulous of light. Dani's heart sunk into her stomach at the same time that something else leaped joyously inside of her.

"My god," she whispered. "I... I know that. I've seen... photos of it!"

The column of light vanished, but the opening in space remained. Dani worried for a second that it was all over, but she was naturally too wrong. A figure emerged from the ground, passing up without disturbing so much as a blade of dead grass.

The topmost part held some kind of brain mass. It glowed a soft, yet painful light. There were strange protrusions at the bottom alongside a nest of lengthy tentacles. Dani realized those pointed things were teeth. The creature kept shifting colors, and each time she saw this, Dani's eyes watered up.

The thing was massive, as large as the house behind them.

"Get everyone back," Dani ordered Epsilon, wishing she felt as brave as she sounded to herself.

Dani was prepared to take the beast on herself. The creature–whatever it was–paid no mind to the others, but it somehow noticed her. Dani couldn't see anything that might have been eyes, yet she sensed the monster was observing her.

"I can do this," she told herself, charging up her ghost rays.

"You don't have to," someone else called out from below. "Not alone, at least."

Blasts from ecto-weapons fired up through the air, passing Dani and striking the creature. Dani looked down and saw Alpha squadron armed and in position. The beast, meanwhile, made a noise somehow. It's entire body shook with what she guessed was pain.

"You're hurting it," she called out, speaking to the Alpha squadron leader.

"You want us to stop?" the female leader called back, though she herself didn't let up with the barrage.

"No," Dani said, joining in with her own ghost ray attacks. "I want you to pour it on!"

"Continue fire," Agent Epsilon ordered, agreeing with her and adding his own blaster to the cannonade.

The blasts didn't appear to be doing any obvious damage, though it was clear the monster didn't like them. Dani thought the creature was moving to attack them, but all it did was rise up. Several half-hearted swipes were made at her with its tentacles, each one dodged by her aeral maneuvers. Too quickly, the creature gave up and floated toward the opening in the sky.

"It's getting away," one of the Guys in White yelled in protest.

Dani stared, no longer firing her ghost ray.

"No," she said, eyes fixed on the thing. "I think it's... going home."

There was a final radiance of white light as the creature passed through the tear in space. When Dani could see again, she found herself staring up at clouds. The opening in the sky was gone, having closed up while her eyes were averted.

Down below on the ground, the mutated plant life dotting the landscape was dying. Twisted trees, bulbous eggs, and thistledown stalks whithered and crumbled away to dust. It was as if nothing unusal had happened at all. The process continued until there was nothing but gray ash dotting the vast clearing. Even the lights from inside the farmhouse had gone out, leaving it dark and bleak.

"Was that it?" Agent Epsilon wondered, his deep voice sounding almost disappointed.

Dani looked to her unconscious friends–Randy was helping up a slowly reviving Alice; to the members of Alpha squadron; and then finally to Agent Epsilon.

"I dunno," she answered doubtfully. "Somehow, I feel like this just barely scratched the surface of something much bigger."

* * *

"They're going to be fine."

Agent Epsilon was trying to sound reassuring, but it didn't keep Dani from worrying.

"Our medical team is some of the best," he promised, while said specialists worked over her three friends with a metaphorical fine tooth comb. "And they know what they're doing when it comes to spectral ailments."

Dani studied the looks on her friends' faces for a moment longer. Dexter was giving the nurse trying to draw blood grief. Alice took her shot to the arm with more dignity, while Randy acted like this was all business as usual for him.

Then Dani remembered that Randy's mother worked in the local hospital. For him, it most likely was business as usual.

"Nothing?" she asked, needing confirmation.

"We'll take a blood sample back with us just to be on the safe side," Agent Epsilon told her. "But all signs read negative. Whatever happened here tonight, it's gone. Completely, and not just with you're friends. The whole place is clean, and that bothers me."

Dani looked back over her shoulder through the trees, at the clearing where the phenomenon had taken place. The clearing was still covered in gray ashes. Nothing could be seen for miles.

"I know what you mean," she said, then cleared her throat, figuring it was time to get down to real business at last. "So, is this the part where you tell me that I'm too dangerous for civilian company, and that I need to stop doing what I do?"

Agent Epsilon laughed, like he'd been expecting that, but still found it amusing.

"On the contrary," he informed her. "Please, by all means, keep doing it."

Dani stared wide-eyed up at him, not believing a word.

"You keep the smaller, less ruley ghosts out of our hair," he pointed out. "We can't chase after every malevolent spirit out there, and things are kinda short-handed as it stands."

It sounded as though the director was giving her praise. Dani certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"You do good work," he complimented, smiling. "Keep at it. The world needs a Dani Phantom just as much as it needs the one with two 'N's and a 'Y'."

"Okay," Dani spoke up, holding out her palms in protest. "Can we go back to the part where you're in charge of the Guys in White, the people who are supposed to be hunting me down. Because hearing you say that–"

"It's true," Agent Epsilon insisted, turning to go. "My team and I will be spending months trying to work this whole mess out, and we still have our superiors to answer to. You're needed in Kingsport Falls now more than ever."

Dani folded her arms, but was willing to take a chance, at least for now.

"I guess," she decided, giving the director a nod, "we'll see."

Agent Epsilon started to walk off, but then stopped. Dani thought the man was staring past her at the wasteland left behind by the incident. It was a moment before she understood that he was looking at her.

"This," Agent Epsilon said, coming back over to where Dani stood. "...may not be my business. And, you'll likely not believe it, but..."

Dani waited, unsure of what was happening.

"I recognize that your trust is something I have to earn," he said gravely, looking her straight in the eye, "and I understand and respect that. One day, if you have the time and the patience, I have things you should here."

Dani wasn't sure what to say to that, so she kept her mouth shut. The director was looking at her like he was worried, even scared for her well-being in that instant.

"Until then," he said, walking away again, "be careful of those close to you."

Dani waited, not exactly voluntarily, until the director of the Guys in White had walked away.

"What?" she wondered to herself, after her was long gone.

The phone ringing in her pocket caused Dani to jump a whole foot in the air, and this was without her ghost powers. Digging it out, she recognized the Professor's number.

"Professor?" she asked, upon answering.

"Dani!" The Professor sounded furious. Danielle had the feeling she was in for a scolding, but it occurred to her that she couldn't actually be in trouble since Wraitheon wasn't her parent.

"Where have you been?" the Professor shrieked angrily, yelling loud enough through the phone to be overheard plainly by members of the Guys in White standing nearby.

Evidently, Professor Wraitheon hadn't gotten the memo about not having authority over Dani.

"I have been calling for hours. What happened?"

"Um, Professor," Dani tried, hoping she could calm the lady down some by staying calm herself. "There's... some bad news. And some good news... And, for you at least, probably... more bad news."

This got the Professor's attention, and she quieted some.

"Go ahead."

Dani counted to three before continuing.

"The good news is, first and foremost, that the team's all right," she told the older woman. "And we're all coming home. As for the bad news, well... it's kind of a long story, actually."

"Spill," the Professor ordered. "I've got all night. And if I have my way, Danielle Kraven, so have you."

And thus, Dani told her.


End file.
